Case Study

I first came across the tools when Sian shared them at the WEDC conference in Kenya in July of 2019. I had already been working for Medair in DR Congo since the start of the year and in my role as WASH Advisor had been task at reviewing our methodologies for developing behaviour change programmes. I had previously come across the RANAS methodology, but it seemed too demanding in terms of the time and resources required to be feasible for our field teams in an emergency situation. The Wash’Em tools appealed to me as they had been designed for use where time and resources are limited, yet at the same time applying the science behind behaviour change. The idea of creating a “guiding story” on which to elaborate a communication campaign immediately appealed to me.

In DR Congo with regards to understanding behaviours we have been using Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) surveys, which does include some observation. Where Wash’Em is different is that, firstly it does not require as many resources in terms of time and staff. In one week we were able to both train our staff to use the Wash’Em tools as well as carry out the assessments. Whereas a wide-scale household survey may take a few weeks to organise, implement and then write up. I get the sense that the Wash’Em tools provided a way to dig a little deeper into the stories of the people we met. In a typical KAP household survey questions are quite closed as we look for yes and no answers. Whereas with the Wash’Em tools the “Personal Histories” tool for example, gives us an opportunity to learn more about the experience the person we are meeting is going through. This seems to provide greater depth than a wide-scale household survey.

In my role as WASH Advisor I particularly appreciated the opportunity to see how handwashing was practiced through the review of the Handwashing Demonstration videos that the team collected from the field. Being able to observe the practical challenges that people face in the home with regards to handwashing helped me appreciate that how focusing on promoting the construction and use of simple low-cost handwashing stations could play a key role in increasing the number of people regularly washing their hands with soap.

We intend to use the findings in our Ebola prevention work in Goma. We will use the findings from the Motives tool to help create a guiding story for which our messaging will link to. The Touchpoint tool has helped us to confirm the most effective communication channels to use, confirming that social media is likely to be the most effective. We are keen to trial the Wash’Em tools across the different settings where we work in DR Congo. Our first trial took place in the city of Goma, where there is a theoretical risk of Ebola reaching the inhabitants. We intend to use the tools in settings where people have been displaced and if possible where people have experiencing Ebola directly.