Emergency Hygiene Promotion

Content

Hygiene promotion (sometimes called “WASH software”) is the foundation of any successful WASH programme. It is a planned, systemic approach to working with communities, enabling people to change behaviour and to use and maintain improved water and sanitation facilities for better health, dignity and wellbeing.

Key components of hygiene promotion in WASH emergencies operations include facilitating the community-led decision making processes and maintaining a close link with WASH technical counterparts, understanding the community and the socio-cultural context related to WASH, behaviour change and communication, listening and acting on feedback, and strengthening accountability through inclusive participation.

Guidelines and tools

Red Cross Red Crescent Guidelines and tools

IFRC WASH guidelines for hygiene promotion in emergency operations (English)

These guidelines outline a step-by-step process for Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers to plan and implement effective, context appropriate hygiene promotion, without taking shortcuts or delivering ‘hygiene messages’. The guidelines provide National Societies with a standard approach for quality assurance, and an opportunity for more effective training and monitoring.

See below for other languages – Click on any image to download the guideline

Step-by-step resources and relevant documents

Download the tools (in Microsoft Word) below for each step of the project cycle – adapt, translate, use, improve.

Assessment

Step 1: Identifying the problem

IFRC WASH Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guide – including PGI and CEA considerations in English, Spanish, French
IFRC Guidelines for Emergency Assessment in English, French , Spanish, Arabic
IFRC Transect walk and observation Guide English, French, Spanish, Arabic
IFRC Focus group discussion Menstrual Hygiene Management English, French, Spanish, Arabic
Gender in water, sanitation and hygiene promotion English, French, Spanish Arabic

Step 2: Identifying target groups

Target group selection English, French , Spanish, Arabic
Gender checklist for WASH programming English, French , Spanish, Arabic

Step 3: Analysing barriers and enablers for behaviour change

IFRC HP box contamination explanation English, French, Spanish, Arabic
HP Box Contamination Cards – Asia
IFRC HPbox Three pile sorting instructions English, French, Spanish,Arabic
IFRC HPbox three pile sorting – Asia
IFRC HPbox Pocket chart English, French, Spanish,Arabic
IFRC HP box pocket cards

Planning

Step 4: Formulating the behaviour change objectives

IFRC WASH PoA Template English, French, Spanish, Arabic
IFRC PoA WASH activities English, French, Spanish,Arabic
IFRC MHM outputs and indicators English, French, Spanish,Arabic

Step 5: Planning

Volunteer Management Toolkit English, French, Spanish, Arabic
Checklist for female friendly latrines English, French, Spanish,Arabic
Sampling English, French, Spanish, Arabic
Using Mass media English, French, French,Arabic

Implementation

STEP 6 – Implementation of activities

Participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation English, French, Spanish,Arabic
HP Box information sheet English, French, Spanish,Arabic
Household water treatment manual English, French, Spanish,Arabic

Monitoring, evaluation & learning

STEP 7 – Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation English, French, Spanish,Arabic

STEP 8 – Review, Re-Adjust

End of mission report + handover notes English, French, Spanish, Arabic

External Guidelines and Tools

Compendium of hygiene promotion in emergencies website

This compendium is a comprehensive and systematic compilation of the most relevant sector-reviewed components, tools, methods and approaches to design and implement successful hygiene promotion (HP) and behavior change interventions. It is applicable to all critical hygiene behaviors across all response phases.

Learning resources

Advocacy and communication material

To include resources on this page, or for more information on IFRC initiatives please contact: Alexandra Machado or wash.geneva@ifrc.org