The Joint Monitoring Programme estimated that in 2015 28.1 per cent of the rural
population of East and Southern Africa practiced open defecation (OD) while 44
per cent were reliant on unimproved sanitation facilities. Furthermore, 64 per cent
of rural households had no handwashing facility with an additional 23 per cent
having a limited facility (one without water or soap) (JMP, 2017a). Good progress
is being made through Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and other rural
sanitation approaches; however the achievement of universal safely managed
sanitation in the region by 2030 will require increased scale and pace.
The CLTS Knowledge Hub, based at the Institute of Development Studies, convened
a regional workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, 16-20 April 2018 with support from SNV
Tanzania. The event brought together those engaged in rural WASH programming
from eight countries across the region (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) alongside experts working at regional and global
levels. Over the course of five days participants shared experiences, innovations,
challenges and learning, and mapped gaps in knowledge with the aim of improving
capacity and future learning, and building consensus on the way forward. SNV
Tanzania also facilitated a field visit to its Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for
All (SSH4A) project areas in Babati and Karatu districts.
This learning brief presents the common challenges and barriers to achieving
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 that the workshop participants
identified across the region. It summarises discussions held across the week,
highlights promising practices and considers priority actions moving forward. It is
complemented by other resources available at www.communityledtotalsanitation.
org/regional-africa-sharing-and-learning-workshops-2018.