ASSESSING BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION IN PROMOTING SANITATION AND HYGIENE AMONG RURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE NANDOM DISTRICT IN THE UPPER WEST REGION.

Abstract

The effects of poor sanitation and hygiene seep into almost every sphere of life. Interventions to tackle this menace in the past have yielded very modest results as people in rural areas continue to engage in improper practices. Attempts to resolve this challenge will remain a mirage if people do not change their behavior. With CARE Ghana and APDO as implementing agents of behavior change interventions, some communities in the Nandom district which equally faces sanitation and hygiene challenges were selected for a pilot project under the USAID West Africa Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme. This has prompted the need for this study which seeks to do an end-term project evaluation in order to examine its immediate outcomes and contributions in the area of sanitation and hygiene. Going by the mixed research approach, the study largely employed the survey design to collect categorical data at the household level. This was complemented with qualitative data obtained by means of in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and personal observation. Results of the study clearly shows that behavior change interventions have significantly increased people's knowledge of improved sanitation and hygiene, however the projects have failed to meet their targets with respect to adoption and actual practices. The study therefore recommends that future interventions should focus on providing extensive practical knowledge to people rather than concentrating on creating just awareness.