Learning brief: Evidence-based advocacy for WASH

On World Toilet Day, the Voice for Change Partnership is launching a learning brief on evidence-based advocacy for sustainable sanitation and hygiene for all. What have we learned from the programme over the last five years?

Through the Voice for Change Partnership (V4CP), SNV strengthened civil society organisations (CSOs) to effectively voice their views. Jointly, V4CP contributed to structural change and effective solutions, ensuring that low-income and marginalised communities’ interests are included in government and business policies and practices.

Reflections and learnings from the V4CP work on sustainable sanitation and hygiene for all are presented in this learning brief. Here you will find key advocacy successes of the programme in the sector across three countries (Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya). These include:

• networks and alliance building for joined agenda setting,

• increased coordination with and within the government, and

• policy and budget influencing for improved sanitation.

Based on the results and learnings from the V4CP programme, several approaches have proven effective for influencing the enabling environment. They are interlinked and can be applied depending on the specific context, the status of the sector, as well as the capabilities of (government and other) stakeholders. The most effective advocacy approaches were identified as:

• strengthening citizens’ participation,

• the role of evidence in influencing policy development,

• alignment of the sector and alliance building to enhance policy dialogue,

• increased coordination within government, and

• supporting local governments in developing & implementing policies.

For more information, download the V4CP WASH learning brief.

To learn more about initiatives within the three countries, we also recommend:

• Ghana’s stories of impact on CSOs’ work to bring sanitation and hygiene issues to the fore – from integrating dedicated teams on sanitation and hygiene at district level to institutionalising policy dialogue and gazetting and following up of by-laws.

• Evidence-based advocacy for sanitation in Kenya outlines how V4CP supported CSOs to build their capacities and advocate for improved sanitation measures, making use of localised evidence.

• Scaling access to sanitation across Indonesia, a story of change that summarises how the SNV V4CP programme worked with four CSOs between 2016 and 2020 to support the Government of Indonesia’s ambition to improve sanitation conditions across the country.