A Deep Dive into Shinyanga’s Journey
Written By: Vivian Victor Kamagenge, Community Health Manager
Every day, unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) claim the lives of 1,000 children under five globally. This heartbreaking reality, highlighted in this study: Triple threat | UNICEF, reveals the devastating effects of disease, climate risks, and inadequate WASH services. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, diarrheal diseases caused by poor WASH led to over 175,000 deaths among young children in 2019.
In Shinyanga District, Tanzania, the situation was equally dire. A baseline survey conducted by the Water for Good team in 2021 revealed that 30% of households with children under five had experienced diarrhea within the past seven days. As a Community Health Manager who implemented Water for Good’s interventions in Shinyanga P1, I have witnessed firsthand how holistic WASH solutions can transform lives. In this blog I share the journey of creating sustainable impact through integrated WASH approaches in Shinyanga Program.
The Challenge: Unsafe WASH in Shinyanga
The baseline survey painted a grim picture: none of the households met the criteria for a “Healthy Home.” A Healthy Home must meet specific criteria, including having:
- An improved latrine with dignity.
- A bathing shelter.
- Handwashing devices near the kitchen and latrine.
- A drying rack.
- Clean compounds.
- Safe drinking water and proper water storage practices.
Cultural practices further complicated the issue:
- Many community members were not disgusted by child feces and often considered it harmless, even viewing child feces around a home as a sign of well-fed children.
- Traditional beliefs discouraged the sharing of latrines between in-laws, leading to widespread open defecation.
Water access was another critical challenge:
- The baseline results revealed that only 34% of households fetched drinking water from a safe source during both dry and rainy seasons.
- The median journey time to fetch water (including travel to/from the source and queuing) was 90 minutes during the dry season.
These challenges demanded a tailored approach—one that addressed both WASH infrastructure gaps and cultural barriers to create lasting change.
Our Approach: Holistic and Inclusive WASH Interventions
The Vision of a Healthy Village (VHV) Model
The Vision of a Healthy Village (VHV) model is a transformative approach to community development that focuses on creating sustainable improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene. What makes VHV particularly effective is its phased approach—from Project planning and launch to intensive household implementation/School and heathy facility phase and finally to sustainability, where communities take ownership of their achievements.
Building Healthy Homes
Our first step was implementing Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) triggering interventions to instill fear, shame, and disgust about poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. This empowered households to meet Healthy Home criteria. Recognizing vulnerable families within the community, we conducted inclusive WASH interventions by mobilizing resources through partnerships with local churches, community members, and leaders to support the vulnerable homes.
Key achievements include:
- Increasing Healthy Home registrations from 0% to 94% (4,135 out of 4,411 households) within three years.
- Achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in 97% of sub-villages by project closure.
- A median reduction of 90% in childhood diarrhea cases in areas where we have worked.
This success was made possible by dedicated WASH facilitators who worked tirelessly door-to-door promoting water, sanitation and hygiene practices within their sub-villages.
Tackling Cultural Barriers
Our Sanitation and Hygiene Promoter Officers (SHPOs), deeply rooted in the community, gave us unique insights into cultural challenges that hindered progress. For example:
- Open conversations revealed harmful perceptions about child feces and latrine-sharing traditions.
By building trust within the community and living among them as equals, we gained their cooperation and were able to tackle these barriers effectively, rather than acting as supervisors or enforcers of rules, we approached them as mentors, coaches, and trusted friends. We did not instill fear by threatening legal consequences for poor WASH conditions. Instead, we guided them with love, demonstrating Christ’s compassion through patient teaching and encouragement.
A key approach we applied was the 4Ls:
- Live in the community.
- Listen to the community.
- Learn from the community.
- Lead them toward better sanitation behaviors.
Through this approach, we fostered meaningful change, making water, sanitation and hygiene improvements more sustainable and embraced by the people
Expanding Water Access
Access to clean water is fundamental to restoring happiness and dignity in families. In Shinyanga P1:
- We constructed 57 water points across three wards in schools, health facility and broader community.
- This intervention touched the lives of 14,822 people across 8 villages by providing reliable access to safe drinking water.
Improved Sanitation Facilities in Institutions
As part of our intervention in schools across three wards, we constructed 20 latrine blocks—12 new and 8 rehabilitated—comprising a total of 136 stances that are now benefiting 5,556 students. These latrine blocks have significantly improved the learning environment, especially for girls. Previously, the absence of a dedicated space for menstrual hygiene management led to increased absenteeism among female students. The newly constructed facilities now include rooms that offer privacy and comfort for girls during their menstrual periods, contributing to improved attendance.
In addition, the latrine blocks are equipped with handwashing stations and illustrative drawings that guide children on proper handwashing techniques using soap. This has greatly enhanced hygiene practices among students. The intervention also addressed the issue of overcrowding during break times, which had previously led some students to relieve themselves in open spaces near the school. With more stances available, students now have adequate access to clean and safe sanitation facilities, promoting dignity, health, and a better learning environment.
In addition to the school interventions, one latrine block with five stances was constructed at a health facility, further contributing to improved sanitation and hygiene services in institutional settings.
Sustainability Models: Ensuring Long-Term Impact
Sustainability is central to our approach. Here’s how we’re ensuring lasting change:
Social Groups for Healthy Homes
Community-led social groups are at the heart of promoting and sustaining Healthy Home criteria. In Shinyanga P1 alone, six groups actively monitor ODF status, and promote households on safe WASH practices—ensuring improvements continue long after project completion. In Tanzania, these social groups typically hold rotational meetings hosted by members. During these gatherings, they take time to monitor each member’s Healthy Home status and offer guidance if any household shows signs of backsliding. For promotion, the groups usually integrate WASH into their regular agendas, providing consistent opportunities to reinforce Healthy Home principles among members.
During the project’s first year, key social groups such as women’s and youth groups are identified based on their level of influence and interest in WASH activities. Stakeholder analysis tools are used in the selection process, prioritizing groups with strong community engagement and the ability to enforce behavior change.
These groups undergo two main training sessions. The first focuses on the importance of Healthy Homes and the need for sustainability. The second equips participants with the skills to develop practical plans for promoting WASH behaviors and monitoring household compliance with Healthy Home criteria.
Community-Based Water Supply Organizations (CBWSOs)
4 CBWSOs were trained to manage minor maintenance tasks and oversee water systems in their communities. Their responsibilities include:
- Repairing broken water points.
- Coordinating larger-scale repairs with RUWASA (Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency).
Resilient Infrastructure
To address climate challenges, In Shinyanga P2 we have prioritized durable materials for constructing improved latrines, bathing shelters, and handwashing devices assuring they withstand harsh weather conditions while reducing maintenance costs.
Capacity Building for Local Leaders
Recognizing that our projects are time-bound, we trained local leaders such as Village Development Commitee (VDCs) and Ward Development Commitee (WDCs). This ensured that WASH agendas would remain active in their meetings even after project completion.
Integration with Government Monitoring Systems
To align with government systems, we integrated Water for Good’s monitoring tools into the district health monitoring system. The data collected by Water for Good is the same as that used by the government, ensuring consistency and reliability, creating a unified system for better decision-making.
Final Takeaways:
Having been deeply involved in implementing these interventions in Shinyanga P1 and P2, I have seen how sustainable WASH solutions can transform lives—not just temporarily but for generations to come, Throughout the implementation, I learned that behavior change requires a multifaceted approach to truly resonate with community members. For instance, we introduced carpentry training to help households fix doors, reinforcing the idea that sanitation improvements require practical support alongside awareness.
One significant challenge we encountered was plastic recyclers encouraging children to steal the jerrycans used for tippy taps, leaving households without handwashing stations. To address this, we adapted our approach in Shinyanga P2 by introducing buckets with taps as an alternative. Another challenge was the durability of local materials, which often could not withstand harsh weather conditions. This led us to promote more resilient options, such as iron sheet doors and roofing, ensuring that sanitation structures remained functional over time.
What surprised me most was seeing the villages we served achieve first-grade ODF status, a remarkable milestone that reinforced the effectiveness of our efforts. This success not only transformed communities but also earned our organization recognition as a leader in the WASH sector. By combining inclusive approaches, resilient infrastructure, and community-driven empowerment models, Water for Good is fostering lasting change and creating healthier futures for children across Tanzania.
