Mass Media Campaign - GIZ ProSecEau sector programme for water and sanitation in Burundi

Purpose

Increase awareness and to share best practices on the use, transport and stockage of drinking water to prevent contamination and thereby preserve the health of the rural and urban population.

Activities

Improving water, sanitation and hygiene for better health

Burundi is a country rich in water resources with more than 30,000 springs. Despite this, its water, sanitation and hygiene situation are characterised by:
• High pollution of drinking water sources;
• Inadequate sanitation facilities;
• Poor hygiene and sanitation behaviour;
• Dilapidated and insufficient water collection and distribution infrastructures;
resulting in an increase in the prevalence of water-borne diseases among the population of Burundi. The Cholera epidemics that regularly occur in urban areas and the high number of children diagnosed with diarrhoea in health centres are sad examples of this.

Improving the quality of water, increasing its availability and encouraging good hygiene practices are key objectives to reduce diseases related to poor quality water.
Thus, the objective of ProSecEau is to improve the legal, institutional and technical framework for access to drinking water and sanitation for vulnerable populations in urban and rural areas.

Images

Image: Build a Tippytap

Countries of activity

Location of main activity

Objectives

Action Field 1: Improvement of water quality
The objective of CA1 is to limit the contamination of drinking water:
• at its source by setting up protection perimeters for water catchments.
• at the household level by raising awareness of good hygiene practices and promoting agro-ecological latrines (Akasuga) adapted to the Burundian context.

Action Field 2: Support to the national urban water operator
CA2 strengthens the commercial management of the national water operator (REGIDESO), so that their revenues can cover the operating and maintenance costs of the infrastructures, and ultimately improve water services in urban areas.

Action Field 3: Support to the water sector in rural areas
CA3 supports municipalities in the management, operation and maintenance of their water assets, including the application of a specific tariff and an increase in the collection rate. CA3's interventions also include the professionalization of the fountain attendant service at standpipes and the rehabilitation and extension of certain drinking water supply networks.

Additional Information:

Donor: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Intervention area: Urban centers of Burundi and provinces of Rumonge, Bururi and Mwaro
Target group: the Burundian population (especially vulnerable people)

Further information

To achieve the objectives of the ProSecEau project, eight short videos were created on the topic – which households can easily watch and share on their mobile phones – to broaden the audience and reach a wider public more easily. Those videos are part of a wider Mass Media campaign.

Part 1 - What are the benefits of an Akasuga agroecological latrine?

The AKASUGA latrine is a cheap agroecological latrine adapted to the rural and peri-urban context of Burundi. The name "AKASUGA" is the contraction in Kirundi of the phrase "Akazu ka Surwumwe Gatanga Amase" which means "small house in which one hides to produce fertiliser". The AKASUGA latrine is equipped with a domed slab that separates solid and liquid excreta, thus reducing unpleasant smells and disease-carrying flies, while producing quality fertiliser for the soil and crops.

Part 2 - How to build an Akasuga agroecological latrine?

The AKASUGA latrine is an agroecological latrine (producing compost from excreta) that is easy to build and similar in cost to a traditional latrine. This video is aimed at the target households and describes clearly and precisely the construction steps and the materials to be acquired. In order to demonstrate that the AKASUGA latrine is financially accessible to all, the video specifies which materials can be found "free of charge" and the construction steps that can be carried out by the household itself.

Part 3 - How to use an Akasuga agroecological latrine and its by-products?

The AKASUGA agroecological latrine enables households to keep their environment clean and safe while producing fertilizer for their crops. This video explains how to properly use and maintain the AKASUGA latrine in order to enjoy its benefits for a long time to come. The video explains how to produce fertilizer from separated urine and faeces for safe use in agriculture.


1. Let's build a Tippy-Tap handwashing facility

The Tippy-Tap is a handwashing device which is easy to build with simple and inexpensive materials. With its pedal system, the Tippy-Tap allows you to wash your hands with soap and water without direct contact with the water container, thus avoiding water contamination and saving the amount of water used. In a playful way, this video describes the steps involved in building a Tippy-Tap while demonstrating its use and its many advantages.

2. Dirty hands make us sick

In the context of sub-Saharan Africa the prevalence of waterborne diseases is partly linked to poor handwashing practices. Through a playful demonstration, this video depicts students and their teacher describing the different steps of handwashing, highlighting critical moments and reasons why good handwashing technique is necessary.

3. Don't forget the soap when washing your hands

In some cases, such as in rural areas in Burundi, handwashing with soap is not a common practice, resulting in a high rate of diarrhoeal diseases among the population. This video explains through a daily life scene, the importance of using soap in handwashing, emphasizing the health but also economic benefits: being healthy thanks to soap saves money in medical care.

4. Let's transport our drinking water properly

Collecting and transporting drinking water to the household are critical steps, during which the risk of water contamination is high. This video raises awareness on good practices to be adopted during these two steps in order to maintain good quality drinking water from its source to the point of storage and consumption.

5. How to keep our drinking water clean and safe at home ?

Improper drinking water storage and handling practices are the main cause of water contamination in the household, which has adverse effects on the health of its consumers. This awareness-raising video presents and describes the right behaviours to adopt regarding the storing and handling of drinking water in the household, emphasizing the health risks associated with drinking poor quality water.

Videos

GIZ Burundi Water Hygiene Sanitation Awareness Campaign MassMedia Latrine Soap

Filter tags

Community sanitation Emptying and transport (non sewered) Enabling environment and institutional strengthening Global Health and hygiene Politicians and local decision makers Practitioners Public awareness, advocacy and civil society engagement Sub-Saharan Africa WASH and nutrition