Utilizing Community-Based Registers to Monitor Improved Access to Sanitation and Hygiene in Tanzania

In Tanzania, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) has been supporting the Government of Tanzania in 10 districts to increase access to improved sanitation. This initiative to improve rural sanitation at large scale combines Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), behavior change communication, and sanitation marketing approaches, and supports both local and national governments to develop capacity to create sustainable change. In recent years, there has been limited progress in establishing a standardized, systematic monitoring system to track sanitation and hygiene conditions in Tanzania. Manually generated reports are used to capture data on an ad hoc basis. Two challenges exist. First, even though it is commonly used in fieldwork, manual data collection is always subject to error. For example, a check is made in the wrong box or numbers are added inaccurately. A certain level of error is acceptable and is built into the interpretation of data, but it is important to establish the exact level of error in order to know how representative and accurate the information is. Second, without a standardized framework, comparing the data between districts or villages or capturing an accurate picture of the current situation is difficult. To increase standardization and accuracy of data collection, WSP is working with local governments and CLTS committees to implement community-based and managed registers. The registers are designed to monitor progress toward improved hygiene and sanitation at the household level. The registers have been introduced by local government at the sub-village level during CLTS triggering and are the primary tool that the sub-village CLTS committee uses to monitor progress.