Getting the message right: step by step behaviour change communication to guide change in sanitation in Nepal

Nepal has been using the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach since 2003/04. However, success has been varied. In some cases, the emphasis has slipped back to hardware (constructing toilets) rather than behaviour change (using toilets). Where behaviour change has occurred, it has not always been sustained. The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Western Nepal Phase II, a bilateral project of the Governments of Nepal and Finland, has developed a Step-By-Step approach to behaviour change to guide local staff, local governments and community to implement CLTS approaches sustainably. The framework strengthens pre-triggering and triggering through identifying barriers and supporting factors, and stimulates site-specific thinking on priorities to achieve true behaviour change at scale. Mobile phones are used to ensure accurate up-to-date data for the purpose.