Towards a participatory framework for improving water & health outcomes: A case study with Maasai women in rural Tanzania

Robbie A Venis; Virginia Taylor; Paulina Sumayani; Marie Laizer; Troy Anderson; Onita D Basu

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114966

Towards a participatory framework for improving water & health outcomes: A case study with Maasai women in rural Tanzania

Soc Sci Med. 2022 May:301:114966. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114966. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Authors

Robbie A Venis¹, Virginia Taylor², Paulina Sumayani³, Marie Laizer³, Troy Anderson⁴, Onita D Basu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada. Electronic address: robbie.venis@carleton.ca.
² Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada; Tanzania Education and Micro Business Opportunity (TEMBO) Trust, P.O. Box 95, Longido, Longido District, Arusha Region, Tanzania.
³ Tanzania Education and Micro Business Opportunity (TEMBO) Trust, P.O. Box 95, Longido, Longido District, Arusha Region, Tanzania.
⁴ Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
⁵ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.

PMID: 35429839
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114966

Abstract

Rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately burdened by a pervasive lack of access to safe drinking water. Widespread programmatic failure in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) sector has resulted in particularly slow progress in alleviating these challenges in the region. Drawing from decolonial and participatory methodological scholarship, this research demonstrates how geographically and demographically specific, locally controlled, and long-term educational programming can improve health and wellness outcomes when associated with a technological intervention. Specifically, consultations between January 2015 and August 2018 were followed by an iterative and community-driven program development process between January and July 2019. Fifty Maasai women were subsequently recruited to participate and were provided with a point-of-use water treatment technology in August 2019. These women engaged in a series of three 14-week WaSH education programs over an 18-month evaluation period. Results showed that 38% of participants reported regular diarrhea at baseline, decreasing to 8%, 0%, and 3% immediately after each of the three WaSH education programs were provided at 3, 12, and 18 months. Interim measurements taken between WaSH programs showed 35% of participants (at 6 months) and 5% of participants (at 15 months) reporting regular diarrhea. A trend of improvement was thus observed over the study period, though the increase in reported diarrhea at 6 months demonstrates the need for long-term commitment on the part of WASH practitioners when engaging with end users to achieve sustained change. Further, this research highlights the importance of participatory program development and pedagogical approaches in WaSH interventions, where local control of study objective determination and implementation, combined with consistent and long-term engagement, can facilitate sustained technology use and associated reductions in diarrhea.

Keywords: Ceramic water filters; Community engagement; Diarrheal health; Gender; Participation; WaSH; Water treatment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Diarrhea / epidemiology
Diarrhea / prevention & control
Female
Humans
Hygiene
Rural Population*
Sanitation*
Tanzania
Water Supply