CLTS becoming a Movement in Magwi County

Communities that have been triggered by the CLTS approach use it to improve their sanitation status by constructing and using latrines and in doing so gain more dignity in society.

Some community members in triggered villages have already started to phase out the use of temporary sanitation facilities and construct long lasting grass-touch houses or permanent structures now that they understand and acknowledge the importance of safe sanitation practices. This ‘infectious trend’ is creating competition among the village members in their efforts to move up the sanitation ladder.

Facilitating the CLTS Approach in Magwi

Since 2012, SNV South Sudan has played a key role in equipping government and local partners’ staff and children, women and youth with CLTS facilitation skills and in supporting them to implement CLTS in their communities. So far, 15 CLTS facilitators have been trained and 20 villages have been triggered. As of 26 May 2014, 18 villages are now ODF in Magwi County.

SNV South Sudan, in partnership with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, the local government, UNICEF, and SNV’s LCBs, has been training personnel drawn from these partners in various districts with a view to creating a critical mass of CLTS facilitators who, with various frontline staff at the community level, are now busy triggering villages in their places of work.

Through constant awareness creation and information sharing on sanitation and hygiene promotion, triggered communities have recognized that it is not enough to be fully sanitized when the neighboring villages are still defecating in the open. Natural leaders and committee members of triggered villages are now involved in introducing and promoting sanitation using the CLTS approach in neighboring non-ODF villages – thus creating a higher chance for scaling up.

Commitment to Scaling-up

There is a growing movement between local government structures and agencies such as SNV, UNICEF, government and natural leaders from ODF communities to advocate for and scale-up CLTS in favorable Payams and Bomas in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State. This is supported by commitment from the lead Ministry and Directorate to scale-up sanitation using the CLTS approach which is in line with the government policy on health and household sanitation survey launched in 2009. A growing number of partners are starting to embrace the CLTS approach being implemented and want to venture in areas where SNV is operating at the community level to adopt the experience. SNV South Sudan is working very closely with these partners to avoid duplication and to see there is transparency and accountability in areas of their intervention as they take up various roles on sanitation.