Water sanitation and hygiene status in the neighbourhood of Bangladeshi Islamic schools and mosques

Faith based interventions have been underutilized to improve water, sanitation and hygiene status and offers promise to promote behaviour in the community. Prior to delivering a faith based WASH intervention, we conducted a survey among the neighbouring households of eight Bangladeshi Islamic schools and associated mosques. We randomly selected 192 families from where any male attend mosque and interviewed adult women from that family. At baseline, almost all households used improved water sources and improved toilets. However, toilet cleanliness was poor. Faecal matter was disposed into the environment after emptying the pit/septic tank. Defecation and disposal among children <3years mostly occurred directly in the open which should be improved using behaviour change recommendations. Presence of hand washing agent in the hand washing place was low. Islamic faith based intervention should be designed and delivered in way that can promote hand washing, safe sanitation practices and safe disposal of child faeces.