UNICEF
Designing Communication Products to support Behaviour Change on Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage for hard to reach rural and poor population in Viet Nam Request for proposal

Reference: Communication Products
Beneficiary countries: Viet Nam
Published on: 10-Sep-2014
Deadline on: 22-Sep-2014 10:00 (GMT 7.00)

Description
  1. Background

 

By end of 2012, according to the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) report issued by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), there is still more than 18% rural population have to use unhygienic water for their daily living. About only 40% rural population use technical regulation water according to the Ministry of Health’s standard. Even among 82% have access to hygienic water, more than two third of them (77%) still use water from small scale water scheme such as dug well, tube well, rain water and so on. Major factors limiting access to quality water in Viet Nam include insufficient water treatment and re-contamination during water collection and storage at households. As a result, diarrheal disease is the seventh highest contributor to Viet Nam’s national communicable disease burden that contribute to the problem of malnutrition for more than 20% children in Viet Nam.

 

Household Water Treatment and safe Storage (HWTS) has been recognised by WHO and UNICEF as a key strategy for improving public health. Evidence shows that HWTS can significantly reduce diarrhoeal disease which is one of a leading cause for child mortality and morbidity. Steps of standard HWTS including filtration, chemical disinfection, disinfection with heat (boiling, pasteurization); and flocculent disinfectant after consuming.

 

In 2013, UNICEF supported NCERWASS to conduct a formative study on HWTS in 7 provinces representing all ecological regions in the country. The study provides current situation of HWTS of different regions and groups of population, especially disadvantaged group of poor Ethnic Minority (EM) and remote rural population in Viet Nam. According to the study, less than 30% H’mong and only 45.5% Ba Na studied groups have access to clean water and most of them consume water directly without proper treatment (e.g. filtration, chemical disinfection or boiling). In addition, the habits of water safe storage of rural population is not hygienic enough (e.g. dirty water containers, not safe water sources; the containers are not covered etc.) have been harmful for having contaminate water for drinking.

 

Applying C4D strategic approaches is critical in promoting behaviour change and good practices on HWTS of households and communities. At the provincial level, a comprehensive C4D plan uses various communication approaches with different communication channels will be crucial to mobilize community effort and participation as well as to support improving knowledge and skills of child caregivers in HWTS.

 

In order to address requirements from provinces where harmful practices on HWTS are widespread among rural and EM groups. In June 2014, with technical support of UNICEF, NCERWASS organized a joint HWTS – C4D planning workshop was organized for leaders and communication focal points of PCERWASS from 17 provinces where the HWTS is remaining major issue of the province. After the workshop, UNICEF and NCERWASS have continued to provide technical assistance to develop provincial C4D plans to promote HWTS among other WASH key behaviours among rural/EM population at selected 17 provinces. The newly developed HWTS C4D plans will be frameworks for provinces to mobilize resource and capacity to promote HWTS behaviours in the province.

 

In order to support the provincial C4D plan focussing HWTS, especially the outreach efforts a package of communication materials is urgently needed. The package aims to provide communication focal points and project collaborators at provincial and commune levels, tools to deliver critical information and knowledge about how to apply safe HWTS. The communication materials will be delivered via different channels and platforms such as household visit, village meetings, clubs, and events. Furthermore, communication materials will be developed using evidence that brings together latest scientific evidence on treatment and storage options with the prevailing cultural practices related to HWTS in the priority provinces.

 

This TOR is developed to support the National Centre for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (NCERWASS) under MARD to manage and monitor the process of evidence-based development of materials, pre-testing and dissemination plan of a package of print communication materials to promote HWTS.

 

The communication materials should be suitable to social and cultural background of people living in the areas where unsafe or untreated water is consumed. It was indicated from the formative report that households living in the Northern Mountainous (Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Dien Bien) areas and Central highland areas (Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Binh Dinh etc), especially the EM groups of H’mong, Ba Na and Kinh people from the poor group are not engaged in optimal HWTS practices. Therefore, this TOR will focus on the development of communication materials to promote HWTS for three selected group of Kinh, H’mong and Ba Na. This work is highlighted and agreed with NCERWASS under the MARD-UNICEF Annual Work Plan 2014, activity 11.

 

The purpose of the assignment is to develop and produce a communication package of printing materials that would support the implementation of provincial HWTS C4D plans especially in provinces with poor and disadvantaged H’mong, Ba Na and Kinh groups. The package includes a flipchart to demonstrate locally relevant good practices and propose appropriate and reasonable technical options to the families related to HWTS; and a poster to that clearly illustrates how to treat and store safe drinking water and the benefit it offers to all family members, especially children.

 

The materials would be accompanied with simple guidelines on how to use the flip chart and poster during HWTS and other child health promotional activities conducted by PCERWASS, Women’s Union and other related outreach workers and communicators.