SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT COMMUNITY LED TOTAL SANITATION SUSTAINABILITY IN YENDI MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

Socio-cultural factors play a vital role in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme (World Health Organization, 2004). These ambitious projections have been missed even after annual investments of around $15 billion, 1.2 billion people are still without access to safe water and 2.6 billion without access to safe and adequate sanitation (World Bank, 2014). The research design employed was a case study. The case study approach employed was both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess socio-cultural factors that enable CLTS sustainability in the study area. Data collection tools used include; questionnaires, interview guide and focus group discussion.The research revealed that, community durbars as a socio-cultural activity had the highest chance of influencing the sustainability of CLTS in the Yendi area. This observation is likely so because community durbars can serve as great platform for stakeholders to sensitize and educate beneficiaries about CLTS. Likewise, inculcating the benefits and need for clean surrounding and a healthy community as part of the basic social values, norms,believes and instituting taboos to monitor the achievement of proper sanitation was also identified in the study. The family structure of households invariably also play a critical part in the CLTS programme. The family as a social unit has a great hand in the sustainability of the CLTS initiative since it’s the most basic unit in society that all community members can be identified. Community level volunteer task force should be formed by community leaders in order to serve as the first hand watch dogs in the monitoring, and enforcement of bye-laws. Assembly should enact sanitation bye-laws if not already existed in all beneficiary communities.