This report presents the findings from a randomised control trial examining the impact of a low-cost, behaviour-centred programme that aimed to improve rates of latrine use and child faeces disposal in Odisha, India. Based on formative research, the programme was shown to successfully increase both latrine use and child faeces disposal, with larger increases in reported rates of child faeces disposal (20.4% higher in intervention compared to control communities).
Who is it for? Practitioners designing or implementing programmes targeting child faeces disposal.
Why is it valuable? Safe disposal of child faeces is a essential for communities to become truly open defecation free. As young children cannot use latrines, safe disposal of their faeces is dependent on the behaviours of caregivers. However, child faeces are often believed to be not harmful and are not prioritised for disposal in a latrine. This area of WASH is relatively under explored and there is little evidence on successful approaches to improve child faeces disposal. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on possible ways to approach this important aspect of hygiene.
