Background
WaterAid Cambodia is a non-profit organization that works to improve access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for people in Cambodia. In 2019, WaterAid Cambodia partnered with Zooms, a social impact agency, to develop a BCC campaign to promote good WASH practices among people with disabilities in Cambodia.
The Challenge
People with disabilities in Cambodia face many barriers to accessing safe WASH facilities. These barriers include physical access challenges, lack of awareness of the importance of WASH, and social stigma. As a result, people with disabilities are more likely to experience waterborne diseases and other health problems.
Target:
The Behavior Change Communication program is focused on the target audience there are:
- Caregivers: They have the main role to support persons with disabilities in WASH practice. So, changing the WASH behavior of caregivers to support persons with disabilities is highlighted.
- The person with disabilities: There are some tools and interventions to raise awareness of household visiting, and small group awareness raising.
Goals:
- To promote awareness of WASH service to persons with disabilities and as well as those who have the main role, caregivers, to support persons with disabilities to access WASH service.
- To change behavior, encourage, and train persons with disabilities and caregivers to follow the essentials of using WASH service, clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene to protect their life from Covid-19, and other diseases.
- To improve WASH practice for hygiene behavior change of people with disabilities.
The Solution
The BCC campaign developed by Zooms and WaterAid Cambodia aimed to address the barriers to accessing safe WASH facilities for people with disabilities by raising awareness of the importance of WASH, promoting positive attitudes towards people with disabilities, and advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in WASH planning and implementation.
The campaign used a variety of channels to reach its target audience, including:
- Communication materials, offline and online: Posters, flyers, banners, and other communication materials were created and distributed in communities across Cambodia. These materials were designed to be accessible to people with disabilities and to provide information about the importance of WASH.
- Informercial video: An infomercial video was produced that featured people with disabilities talking about their experiences with WASH. The video was distributed online and through local media outlets.
The Results
The BCC campaign was a success in raising awareness of the importance of WASH among people with disabilities in Cambodia. The communication materials were widely distributed and the infomercial video was viewed by thousands of people. The campaign also had a positive impact on the attitudes of people towards people with disabilities.
Conclusion
The BCC campaign developed by Zooms and WaterAid Cambodia was a successful example of how BCC can be used to promote good WASH practices and improve the lives of people with disabilities. The campaign raised awareness of the importance of WASH, promoted positive attitudes towards people with disabilities, and advocated for the inclusion of people with disabilities in WASH planning and implementation.
Key Takeaways
- BCC can be an effective tool for promoting good WASH practices and improving the lives of people with disabilities.
- When developing a BCC campaign, it is important to:
- Understand the target audience
- Use a variety of channels to reach the target audience
- Measure the results of the campaign
- BCC can be a powerful tool for social change.
