Participatory research conducted in 80 communities in East Java shows that communities achieving ODF status within two months of CLTS triggering are more likely to achieve higher access gains and remain ODF longer than communities that take many months to achieve ODF status.
The study conducted by the Water and Sanitation Program shows that these QUICKLY ODF communities represent the most efficient model for scaling up sustainably. Factors associated with QUICKLY ODF communities include high social capital, high-quality CLTS triggering, access to latrine supplies, easy payment terms, absence of external subsidies to a few households out of all, and regular monitoring. One significant difference between ODF and NOT ODF communities was their proximity to bodies of water, with riverbank, beach, and lakeshore communities less likely to achieve ODF status. As a participant in a focus group discussion noted, “As long as rivers flow, why spend money and time to build latrines?”
These findings and others are summarized in Factors Associated with Achieving and Sustaining Open Defecation Free Communities: Learning from East Java, a new Research Brief by Nilanjana Mukherjee. A full technical report is in press.
For more information on the participatory research in East Java, please contact Nilanjana Murkherjee, wspeap@worldbank.org.
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