School-Led Total Sanitation: Inside this

handbook:
School Facilitator Training Guide SLTS Overview

SLTS Steps

School
Facilitator
Training Guide

Scaling up

Tips and Tricks

Monitoring Form

Developed with
contributions from:
• Ministry of Education,
Science and Technology

• Ministry of Health

• Department of Water
Development

• Ministry of Gender,
Children, Disability and
Social Welfare

• District Councils and

District Coordination
Teams

• ODF Task Force and its

various Governmental
and NGO partners

• UNICEF Malawi
Preface

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is a prerequisite of quality education for all learners. School-Led
Total Sanitation (SLTS) is designed to promote sanitation and hygiene at both schools and communities
through child-centered approach. Given the high vulnerability of children to diarrheal diseases, their
greater receptivity of behavior change and their propensity for development of lifelong behaviors, tar-
geting school children as primary recipient as well as leaders of sanitation and hygiene promotion would be
most effective and efficient way of disseminating messages and transforming behaviors.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has been involved in the development and roll-out of
SLTS methods in Malawi and fully supports the scaling-up of SLTS implementation.

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

Definitions and Guiding Principles of SLTS*
School-Led Total Sanitation ODF refers to open defecation
(SLTS) is a process of facilitating free, where every household uses which can include elements of
school communities (learners, a latrine with cover with privacy stopping open defecation, keeping
teachers, parents, School Man- and faeces is safely disposed to a toilets clean, and daily group hand
agement Committee members, vil- latrine. washing. Upon further improve-
lage heads, etc.) to analyse the ments, a school can reach Two or
The guiding principles of SLTS Three Star School status.
current sanitation and hygiene
are;
situation, their practices and con- Triggering is where a school com-
• To facilitate, not dictate;
sequences, and to improve their munity is facilitated to analyse
• Let people design toilets, not
sanitation and hygiene status. their sanitation and hygiene
rely on “engineers”
SLTS has been adapted for situations, behaviours and conse-
• Focus more on behavior
schools from Community-Led Total quences, leading to their collective
change and capacity building,
sanitation (CLTS) approach. It to actions toward total sanitation.
rather than “hardware”
is expected to lead to collective
• Let people monitor and follow Verification refers to an
actions to achieve total sanitation
progress toward total sanita- inspection conducted to assess
in both schools and catchment
tion with indicators whether a school has reached
communities.
One Star School Status is when Star Status.
OD means open defecation—
a school community completes its Certification is the official
defecating in the open air and
action plan which they created at confirmation and recognition of
leaving faeces exposed.
the time of SLTS triggering, Star Status in the school.
*Some definitions adapted from the “Handbook on Community-Led Total San-

Abbreviations
CLTS Community-Led Total Sanitation
DCT District Coordination Team (for WASH)
DEM District Education Manager
MoEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
MoH Ministry of Health
DoWD Department of Water Development
NL Natural Leader Students gathered for triggering; Blantyre

OD Open Defecation
Purpose of this handbook
ODF Open Defecation Free
PEA Primary Education Advisor
This guide is produced by MoEST with support from
PTA Parents-Teachers Association
UNICEF Malawi as a brief, user-friendly guide for
SLTS School-Led Total Sanitation SLTS. facilitation It has been adapted from the
CLTS Training Guide developed by Kamal Kar and
SMC School Management Committee Robert Chambers. It is designed to serve as a
VDC Village Development Committee practical guide for orienting and training facilitators
as well as learners and community members.
WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
SLTS Overview

Overview
Despite massive efforts by governmen- As a demand-creation and child-centred do” attitude in school communities
tal and NGO partners and other devel- approach, SLTS has great potentials to on solving sanitation and hygiene
opment agencies toward ODF Malawi by add values to the existing school sanita- challenges
2015, there are still a lot of works to be tion initiatives through:
• Encouraging self-esteem of learn-
done. The ODF Malawi National Strate-
• Supporting behavior and institution- ers through active participation in
gy addresses School-Led Total Sanita-
al changes brought forth by other SLTS activities and their leadership
tion (SLTS) as an effective approach to
sanitation and hygiene initiatives in peer monitoring and reporting
create ODF communities. It takes the
dynamics of children into consideration • Providing much needed support SLTS is also expected to trigger school
as Agents of Change in triggering and through improved school manage- catchment communities into becoming
monitoring good sanitation and hygiene ment by SMCs. Mobilizing communi- ODF through actions of learners and
practices in both schools and catchment ty support for WASH in Schools other school stakeholders with support
communities. from Natural Leaders and local leaders.
• Generating excitement and a “can-

The School Sanitation challenge

Key issues with regards to school sanita- • Anti-vandalism of WASH facilities environment for children. Actions must be
tion and hygiene include: • Adequate number of and learner- taken collectively. Through the SLTS
• Maintenance of school sanitation fa- friendly hand washing facilities processes school communities are to be
cilities (cleanliness and hygiene) • Constant and continuous practices of empowered to address their sanitation and
ODF and hand hygiene challenges.
• Adequate number of drop holes
for learners washing with soap
Members of school communities include:
• Inclusiveness for all learners in at critical times
Learners Parents HSAs
access and usage • Community
Mothers Clubs Phala Committees
• Adequate school sanitation fa- ownership on sani-
tation issues Teachers SMCs PTAs
cilities for older girls to support
Influential community leaders
their menstrual hygiene manage-
ment Some of these Religious leaders Village Heads
A common site in Malawi—school issues greatly Natural Leaders
• Socio-cultural sensitiveness of
toilets with faeces around the Village Development Committee (VDC)
school sanitation facilities (i.e. contribute to ODF
drop hole and on the walls
materials for anal cleansing) and a healthy

When it occurs well, SLTS...

• Is holistic, meaning that it affects • Leads to the emergence of new
the entire school community and Natural Leaders or the re-
visitors as well activation of existing sanitation and
hygiene champions (e.g. members of
• Is based on collective community
School WASH Clubs)
decision making and actions by all
• Through a collective drive of com- School Communities include not only learners
• Generates diverse local actions and
munity members, learners, chiefs and teachers but also members of SMCs, PTAs,
innovations Mothers Clubs and Traditional Leaders (chiefs/
and teachers, spread ideas of total
• Revives traditional practices of self village heads) and VDCs.
sanitation and ODF to surrounding
-help and community cooperation communities
 Key Attitudes and Behaviours for SLTS Facilitation

DO DON’T
Facilitate a process where the school community analyses Educate, lecture, or tell people what to do
their own sanitation and hygiene situation

Stand back and leave it to local leaders and community mem- Tell people what is good or bad
bers

Be cool and allow discussion and conversation between partic- Be in charge, push for or demand actions
ipants

Appreciate those who take a lead and engage themselves Interrupt when school community members are engaged in
discussion

Encourage females and normally marginalized members of Discourage school community members from arguing amongst
school communities to get involved themselves or shaming each other

Trigger local actions and encourage self-help Overlook emerging leaders, females and marginalized
members of a community

Let people innovate on their suggested solutions Promote specific designs or solutions, or hardware subsidy

Be bold yet cautious Be humble or too polite

Listen attentively to everything Interrupt

SLTS Steps

Step 4: Post-triggering
SLTS is a multi-step process. It is Step 2: School Facilitators Training The PEA, head teachers, learners,
important to note that it doesn’t stop Six (6) representatives from each facilitators follow up to ensure the
at training or triggering, but it has to school and/or extension workers are action plan is progressing. The PEA
be continuous towards school certifi- trained in SLTS facilitation. After reports monthly to the DEM.
cation and even sustaining and improv- their training, these representatives
ing upon the school sanitation and hy- Step 5: Verification & Certification
shall train their peers in their respec-
giene status. tive schools or communities to dissem- Inspection to assess if school has
inate knowledge and skills. reached Star Status with their
completed action plan; A school open
Step 1: Pre-Triggering Step 3: Triggering
day to celebrate achievement.
The DCT (with DEM leadership) Participatory sanitation and hygiene
selects schools to be triggered. Plan profile analysis by the selected Step 6: Sustaining & Improving
together with the DCT to decide schools and communities. A day dedicated in each school term
whether you want to target schools for activities which reinforce
which are located in CLTS triggered (~2-3 hours one morning)
behavior changes brought about
communities. through SLTS. The schools ensure a
peer monitoring and reporting mecha-
nism in place.
 SLTS Structure
District Level Training

Zonal Level Training Zonal Level Training Zonal Level Training

(5 schools per training) (5 schools per training) (5 schools per training)

SLTS triggering at school SLTS triggering at school SLTS triggering at school

and follow-ups and follow-ups and follow-ups

SLTS triggering at school SLTS triggering at school

and follow-ups and follow-ups

One Star School Verification & Certification

Two Star School Verification & Certification

Three Star School Verification & Certification

School Facilitator Training Process

Key components of the SLTS process is The training steps are as follows:
the first and second steps—pre-
triggering (preparation) and the School Part 1: Introduction
Facilitator training. When this is done Part 2: SLTS Overview
well, you will be able to manage to gen-
Part 3: SLTS “Tools”
erate excitement among key members
of school communities and equip them Part 4: Post-triggering
with skills and motivation to trigger Part 5: Sustaining and Improving
their schools.
Part 6: Practical Exercise

This handbook includes guidelines for Facilitators brainstorming on an Part 7: Next Steps
SLTS triggering
pre-training preparation and the content Go to the next page to learn how to
of SLTS facilitator training. The SLTS train your school communities!
facilitator training takes place for
three days.
Pre-Triggering

Getting Started: Training Preparation

Tips on selection of
A school facilitator training is a fun and participatory activity. Be sure schools
to have key things prepared beforehand at the pre-triggering stage so • Always consult
you can focus on facilitation during three days! with DEM/DCT in
the selection of
Preparation schools.
Identify a training venue at Arrange logis- • Trigger schools by
least 2 weeks in advance; Visit tics for training cluster to expect
the venue in advance to check facilitators spill-over effects.
the availability and space; invite • Check if catch-
key people (i.e. teachers, Moth- ment communities
ers Club, SMC/PTA, PEAs) from of the school have
the selected schools to be Print training
been triggered
trained and ensure their partic- materials through CLTS
ipation through a visit a few
days prior to the training.

Teachers’ Development Centres Practicals

(TDCs) is a recommended venue
√ Maize Husks
for these trainings.
√ White Paper
Participants
√ Colored Paper
You can train about five schools in one session. Invite six facilitators per
school who you know will take an active part in SLTS. √ Ashes

√ Charcoal
√ Bottles of Water
√ Cups of Porridge
Mothers √ Soap
Club
√ Boiled Eggs
Guideline for Budgeting
√ Fresh Cassava,
• Lunch for Participants and Facilitators unpeeled

• Refreshments 2times per day √ Flip Chart

• Stationery (see guideline on the top right) √ Markers
• Materials for practical exercises and triggering (see right)
√ Monitoring Form
As SLTS fits under the National School Health and Nutrition strategy, it
is important to carry out these principles at training as a role model.
Please choose snacks that are healthy and provide sufficient nutrients for
participants.
School Facilitators Training
Part 1: Introduction
Sample Icebreak-
Opening er: “Shit Tales”

Get to know each other. Start with a prayer if that is appropriate in your cul-
•Find a partner.
ture. Break into a song and/or 1 - 2 activities that will allow your participants to
feel comfortable with each other. •Ask your partners
when they last
defecated in the
Now is the time to build rapport with your trainees feel free, be friendly, and open.
make the participants feel welcome and laugh!
•Share some facts
about each other.
Sample Ice Breaker & Name Game: Bicycle Chain •Present what you
1. Take the group to a large space. learnt about your
partner to the
2. Form 2 lines facing each other.
group.
3. Greet the people in front of you and learn their name.
Don’t forget to
4. After you both learn each others’ names, move one spot to the right. mention when they
5. Greet the new person in front you. Move again to the right. last defecated in
6. Move continuously to the right like a bicycle chain, meeting each person the open!
in front of you.
7. Continue to do this until everyone has met each other.

Sample Icebreaker:
“How many ways to
School Sanitation Challenge say shit”
This session is to help participants analyze their own school sanitation situa- As a group, create a
tions and bring them to realize WHY SLTS IS IMPORTANT. list of all the ways to
say shit! Think of the
ones that are most
• Break participants by the school they come from. Ask them:
likely to elicit disgust
What do you observe about sanitation and hygiene at your school? and shame in people
when mentioned.
Think of what previous sanitation and hygiene approaches have been con-
ducted in your school (List them) Put this on the wall
for everyone to see!
Reflect back on key challenges faced in your school (List them)
Remember to use the
How well did those past approaches address these key challenges language for shit that
• Have each group present their work. Encourage honesty about what can be will most trigger a
school community!
seen and observed at their school.
• “Trigger” participants by asking/probing questions about behaviors of school
communities which create the presented situation. This will help them realize
that actions of various stakeholders are creating unsanitary and unhealthy
schools.
Tip: If training is being conducted at a school, walk around the school
with participants so they can report back their observations.
Part 2: SLTS Overview

SLTS Goal
SLTS is meant for schools to gain ownership of their sanitation and hygiene issues and mobi-
lize them to work together to achieve “total sanitation.”
• Through SLTS, schools are triggered to realize that their behaviors are making themselves
sick.
• People are disgusted, ashamed, and afraid of their situation and decide to change.
• They collectively decide to take actions to improve their school environment and that of
catchment communities.

Disgust: Aversion or displeasure produced by something loathing, strong distaste and any-
thing extremely unpleasant to the moral taste or higher sensitivities of our nature. i.e.
practicing open defecation and eating each others’ shit in a community.
Shame: Painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something
which injures reputation.
Fear: An emotional response to tangible and realistic dangers. Fear should be distin-
guished from anxiety. An emotion that often arises out of proportion to actual threats or
dangers involved, and can be subjectively experienced without any specific attention to
threatening objects.

SLTS is different from other approaches in the past.

• There are no subsidies.
• Schools, learners and community members are empowered to take actions to improve their sit-
uation.
• Behavior change focused.
• Child-centered. Children are main actors as Agents of Change.

*Show videos of SLTS and CLTS in action at this stage.

Emphasize that
GREAT
facilitation and
follow-up are
keys to
effective SLTS
Who makes up a school community?

Help participants know that their support group is HUGE!

• Given that SLTS is an approach which empowers a school
community, ask participants:
“Who is part of your school community? Who has a
stake I in the school?”
• Make a list of their responses on a flip chart.
These can be members of the SMC, parents, learners,
Village Headmen and anyone else who regularly inter-
acts with the school and its environment.
• All those on the list have a role to play in creating a
Some members of a school community who can
healthy school environment!
support changes in the school environment

Extra: Results of Past SLTS work

Step by Step with SLTS
To show participants how effective
SLTS can be, you can share previous Step 1: Pre-Triggering
results of SLTS in other schools. The DCT (with DEM leadership) select a school to be triggered. Al-
ways consult with the DCT whenever you intervene in schools.
Some of promising results include:
Step 2: School Facilitators Training
• Toilets built by school commu-
Representatives from each school are trained in SLTS facilitation.
nity These master facilitators can train other school facilitators to dis-
• Cleaners hired by SMC seminate knowledge and skills.

• Hand washing facilities built Step 3: Triggering

per class School communities are called to the school, where they will be facili-
tated to analyze their behaviours around sanitation and hygiene (for 2-
• Students active in triggering
3 hours in one morning).
behaviour change of peers
• Vandalism prevented through Step 4: Post-triggering
community sensitization and The PEA, HSA, head teacher, learners, facilitators follow up to ensure
the developed action plan is progressing. The PEA reports monthly to
purchase and placement of
the DEM.
locks
Step 5: Verification & Certification
Results for each school may vary Inspection to assess if school has reached Star Status with their com-
depending on their specific challenges pleted action plan; A school open day to celebrate achievement.
and actions which a school decides to
Step 6: Sustaining & Improving
take. However, past results have
A day dedicated in each school term for activities which reinforce
shown that mobilizing school communi-
behavior changes brought about through SLTS. The schools ensure a
ties can lead to significant changes. peer monitoring and reporting mechanism in place.
 Part 3: SLTS “Tools”
The key tools for SLTS are as
In order to facilitate an SLTS follows:
triggering, you have many • School Mapping
“tools” at your disposal. As a • Walk of Shame
facilitator, you can use these • Glass of Water/Cup of Porridge
tools to help a school community • Anal Cleansing Materials
see for themselves that behav-
• Cassava/Egg Demonstration
iors practiced at the school cre-
• Shit and Shake
ate an unpleasant environment.
It is then up to them to decide • Shit Calculation
what they’d like to do to reach • Medical Expenses Calculation
Star Status. You can mix and match these tools,
An example of the process re- and use whichever ones you see fit
cording of SLTS triggering is to trigger your participants! You can
shown in the Section: Extra Re- also refer to the CLTS Handbook
sources. for additional tools.

Introduction and Rapport Building

Opening as a Large Group Building Rapport with your Triggering

Upon arrival at the school, treat it as you would any other Group
gatherings with a school community. Be friendly. Be re-
Once you are in your triggering group, start to build a
laxed. Be open and build rapport with those you meet.
connection with your participants. Introduce yourself and
Listen. Appreciate good things about the school. your other facilitators. Tell them that you are here to learn
about what they do regularly in their school, how they act,
The Head Teacher will make opening remarks. They should
what they see, what they do, etc.
briefly explain that school community members are gath-
ered to study the profile of the school and the surrounding Do use local language.
communities. Ask for a local word for Shit and use it.
Break audiences into several triggering groups. There Do start with a game or song to put people at ease.
should be at least 2 facilitators per group. These groupings Feel free and make jokes/laugh with your
can vary; it could be infant/junior/senior learners, or per
class, or however way you decide with your audiences and participants. It will help put them at ease.
the nature of SLTS tools.

Each group should find a spot around the school to gather Avoid mentioning at the
where they will not run into other groups. Teachers may start that you are there
have to stay in the triggering groups their students are for sanitation and hy-
placed in to support facilitators in keeping order. giene. Simply tell them
that you are there to
One group should be exclusively for adult members of the
learn from them on how
school community which have come for a gathering. It has they do things at their
been found effective when the PEA or HSA for the com-
school.
munity (if available) trigger the adult group.
SLTS Tool: School Mapping
In order to learn about their school, facilitate your group to draw a map on the DO
ground using local materials, showing the boundaries of the school and major land-
Encourage and
marks (school blocks, a water point, football field, bushes, toilets, etc.) Ask ques-
provide support to
tions about the map and get as many people involved as possible in creating the
participants to
map. This tool is less suitable for junior learners, who can watch and observe maps
draw the map.
made by other groups (senior learners, adults).
Involve as many
Then ask them what they do at each major landmark. When you get to the toilets,
people as possible.
ask them what they do there and what can be found there.
Mark the areas where faeces are found with maize husks (or other suitably colored
material. Also ask if faeces can be found anywhere else (in case the bush is used, DON’T
indicated this on the map). Draw the map by
yourself.
This map can be used to highlight things in the school. Draw attention to where
people defecate and where this faeeces goes. Is it going to places where it should
go? Where else does the faeces go? Mark on the map the pathways which faeces
travels around the school.

Fingers

Flies

Fields Food Mouth

Faeces

Source: Child Friendly Schools Manual

Fluids
- WASH in Schools, UNICEF (2012)

Faecal Contamination Pathways

Ask participants where all the shit goes. People can offer various explanations, Tip
such as: It is washed away in rain, it goes in the soil, and other ways.
Don’t suggest a
Then ask them how to write down different ways for the shit to get into their pathway for your
schools, such as: participants. Let
Flies Rain water Wind Shoes them discuss and
encourage them to
Dogs Toys, footballs, etc. Contaminated water
volunteer to share
Others__________________________ their thoughts.

Then, ask how the shit goes in their mouths, such as:
Hands, fingernails Flies on food Dogs licking people
Fruits that have fallen on the ground with shit and not washed
SLTS Tool: Transect Walk (Walk of Shame)
DO
Transect walk is a great facilitation tool. Feelings of embarrassment and disgust
evoked during this tool, which can result in an immediate desire to change. Even Be creative by asking
though they see these things everyday, they will be awaken to the problem when questions to draw out
forced to look at and analyze the situation in details. key observations.

Be brave and keep the

group in the areas
Tell your participants that you want to see their school to learn more about it.
where the faeces is to
Have them lead you for a walk around. Ask questions along the way about their draw out disgust.
behaviours. For example, when you reach a water point, you can ask questions or
get them to demonstrate how they use it. If there are unhygienic behaviours Stay in areas where
exhibited, you can question them about it. the smell or sight is
unpleasant to trigger
When you reach the areas where shit or urine is found, stay there and ask shame, fear and dis-
questions. Who left the shit here? Who urinated here? What are the reasons gust.
that shit is everywhere? What do we smell? How do we feel? Where else can we DON’T
find shit in this school? If they mention the bush, ask them to take you there.
Run into other groups
Ask: What happens to the shit when it rains? Where do the shit go? during the facilitation
process to overcrowd
If there are flies around, you can also question where these flies come from. key areas such as the
What do they carry with them? Where else do they go? Do they come to the toilets.
house?
Hide from the defeca-
tion areas.

Caption describing picture or

graphic.
SLTS Tool: Cup of Porridge Or Glass of Water

Go to an area where the shit is found, either in the bushes or by toilets where students missed the hole.
Bring a glass of water or a cup of porridge. Ask a participant to drink the water or eat the porridge.
Then, take a piece of hair and dip it into the shit, then into the
water or porridge. Ask them what they see (there will be little
to no difference with how the water or porridge looks). Offer
the water or porridge again to the students to drink or eat. If
they refuse, ask them why they are refusing, to which they will
say that it contains shit.

Now ask them if they can see flies in their school. How many
legs do these flies have? What do the legs look like? Can their
legs pick up more shit than hair? Next, ask what happens when
flies land on their (or their children’s) food: what are they
bringing with them? Finally, ask them what they are eating with
their food.

If a participant realizes that they are eating the shit, bring

them to the front to share their realization to the group. The
bottom lines is that everyone in the school and surrounding
communities is eating shit. Do not say this before they do. It
has to be a result of their own self-analysis.

SLTS Tool: Shit & Shake*

*Good to trigger hand washing practices

Ask someone to demonstrate how a toilet is used. Get

them to put charcoal on their hands to symbolize the
shit for demonstration.

After they use a toilet, ask them to show you what

they normally do. Often, they will go play with or greet
their friends.

Ask them to show you games they play or how they

greet their friends. Continue having them do this with
multiple people and see how many people's hands the
shit is passed on to.

Ask the people what is on their hands.

Ask them how comfortable they are with faeces being

passed around their school.
SLTS Tool: Shit Calculation
Ask audiences to calculate the amount of the
shit eaten in their school communities everyday.
• How many learners in the school?
• How many teachers?
• How many surrounding villages?
• How many community members?

Now, ask how much does each person defecate

everyday?

Compare it to something tangible, such as the

number of sugar bags or maize bags.

Multiply this by the number of people in the

school and communities to see how much shit is
produced each day.

Continue to calculate for how much is produced SLTS Tool:

each week, then each month. Medical Costs Calculation
Ask how they feel about eating each other’s shit This is a good tool for senior learners and adults
because of the dirty environment. (parents, village headmen, SMCs etc.)

Ask what types of illnesses are commonly found

with their children. Ask how often their children
get sick with diarrhoea or other sanitation and
hygiene illnesses.

Ask how much it costs for them to treat their

child.
• Cost of medication?
• Cost to go to the hospital?
• Cost of transport and chaperone at the
hospital?
• Cost of lost time and money that could have
been spent working or other activities?
Caption describing picture or
• Other related costs?
graphic.
• What else can't they do when their child is
sick?
SLTS Tool:
CASSAVA/EGG DEMONSTRATION*
*Good to trigger hand washing practices
Tip
This tool usually
Tell participants that you have a gift for someone with the works best at the
cleanest hands. Give them a boiled egg or fresh cassava to beginning of a
peel in front of the group. Observe how they do it. triggering, before
Once the cassava or egg is peeled, hold it high for the rest the participants
of the group to see. Ask the people what they see on the catch on that you
cassava/egg—there will likely be dirt marks. Ask them what are there to talk
these marks are. Do they want to eat it? If they refuse, about open
why? defecation and
hand washing.
Ask them what in the future do they think that they should
do so that they would be willing to eat the food?

SLTS Tool:
Anal Cleansing Materials Tip
Have fun with the tools and make jokes about it
Ask a participant to show you what they do in a toilet
with participants so they feel free.
(make it fun so that someone volunteers).
• How do they wipe themselves?
• What materials do they use?
• Get them to demonstrate using these materials
(e.g. leaves, paper, their hands, etc.)

Get a piece of brick, some mud and some water;

mix the mud with water to symbolize faeces then put

it on the brick.

Ask the same learners to use the material to wipe

off the faeces. When they wipe it off, observe and
ask questions.
• Did leaf/paper/other material break?
• Did any of the "shit" get on their hands?
• What happens after they leave the toilet?
• What do they do after? Maybe they will play with
friends, in which case the shit can be passed
around. Have them demonstrate this.

How do they feel being in a school where shit is

passed around regularly?
 Ignition Moment
Keep an eye on an ignition moment. This
is when a collective realization occurs
that due to their behaviours at the
school or communities, they are making
themselves sick. When this happens
there is no need to continue with more
tools.

Often participants get animated. Let

them discuss and debate the issues. Tell
them they are free to decide what they
want to do with this realization.

Triggering Responses
A triggering has 4 possible outcomes.

Caption describing picture or

A triggering has 4 possible outcomes. The intensity of your follow-up will depend on the outcome.
graphic.
If the group is not triggered well (e.g. damp matchbox), more intensive follow-ups will be required to
reach Star Status. Assess the triggering and plan accordingly for this.
Action Planning

Once the group realizes that they are making themselves sick, ask them if they want
to stay with this situation. If they say no, ask them what they want to do about it. DO
Facilitate them to think of various components which make up a clean, healthy school—
Have participants
a Star school.
suggest actions
Make a list of their proposed actions, who is supposed to perform them, and by when by themselves.
on a flip chart, to present for sharing with all and monitoring.
Encourage them to
Once all the sub-groups complete the development of their action plan, facilitators call think beyond the
for a plenary gathering for each sub-group to present their action plans. At the end, a school — is there
school need to consolidate several action plans and place it on the wall of the school. something that
It is a good idea to identify active participants as Natural Leaders during triggering, can be done to also
who will be responsible for peer monitoring and reporting progress. m a k e t h e
surrounding
Upon completion of activities in the action plan the school has potential to be awarded
Star status and receive a flag to commemorate their achievement. communities ODF?

DON’T
Below: Junior learners present their created Dictate what to be
songs along with their developed action plans.
done and what to
put on the action
plan.

Above: Senior learners present their action

plan

Key things found in One Star Schools

• Hand washing is a habit regardless of use of soap or alternatives
*Daily activities such as group hand washing sessions are practiced.
• Existence of any types of latrine in the school
• Toilets are properly used and they are clean
• Presence of drop hole covers at each drop hole
• Open defecation in the school is eliminated
(can even extend to surrounding communities)
• Children have safe handling of drinking water
• Active community support for sanitation and hygiene in school and surround
ing communities
Part 4: Post-Triggering
Tip
Arrange competi-
Follow-ups tions between zones
or between schools
School with support from the SLTS facilitation to provide additional
should decide who will conduct follow-ups within motivation
in their school. The school is encouraged to
have a peer monitoring and reporting mecha-
nism, led by active learners, who can also be members of a WASH
Club. Additionally community members can form a committee to
support learners to conduct effective follow-ups with guide (e.g. a
School Sanitation Committee composed of various stakeholders).
The PEA with support from HSAs will follow-up at least one a
month (better if they visit twice a month) with the Head Teacher
to see their progress. They will reported to the DEM.

Monitoring Form
A standardized monitoring form will be provided for PEAs to update and report monthly to the DEM.
A sample form is provided in this handbook, in the “Extra Resources” section.

Verification and Certification

Once all the activities in the action plan is complete, the
school will report the PEA to request for verification by the
DEM and a few additional DCT members.

The school will host an open day with community members

where the DEM and DCT members will come to verify that
the school action plan has been completed, learners’ daily
behaviors are continuous and check the surroundings. If it
is complete and they meet the Star School criteria, the
school will be given a certificate to show that they have Caption describing picture or
achieved Star Status and a flag will be given to them to graphic.

proudly present their status.

Part 5:
Sustaining and Improving

The school, with the Head Teacher as a lead, should choose

one day per term to remind the school of the key sanita-
tion and hygiene behaviours which make them a “Total San-
itation” school.
Sanitation and hygiene activities can be integrated into the
existing sessions in classes, such as Life Skills.
Learners shall be encouraged to design or re-build locally
made hand washing facilities, posters or structures which
support their continuous sanitation and hygiene practices.
They can also strive to move up the Star School Ladder, to
achieve Two or Three Stars!

Moving up the Star School Ladder

Schools are eligible to move up the Star School Ladder with additional improvements to their sanitation
and hygiene status. Once they meet the next level of achievement, they can request for verification and if
successful, they can receive another flag to state that they have received Two Star School status.

Key things found in Two Star Schools

Same as One Star School status plus:
• Use of soap for regular hand washing
• Safe drinking water available for children

• Presence of buckets with a lid and tap for hand washing

• Existence of some sorts of urinals for boys and girls in appropriate
location

• Sensitization on menstruation (scientific facts) for both girls and boys

• Support from female teachers, Mothers Clubs, HSAs for girls to man-
age their menstruation.
Part 6: Practical Exercises
Use the second day of SLTS facilitator training to strategize and practice facilita- Tips
tion tools. Sample exercises are outlined below.
Encourage everyone
Exercise 1 Exercise 2 to be involved in the
process.
Go into your triggering teams (one learn- In this exercise, all teams will have a
er and one teacher = one team, PEA chance to practice their facilitation Ensure that the
should have one learner partner to trig- skills in front of the whole group. practical exercises
ger the adults). If the HSA (or other Choose one team to start. They will fa- are taken seriously
extension workers) is present, they can cilitate a triggering, while the rest of and all have a chance
choose to join any group. the group will pretend to be the trig- to participate.
Each team should meet and strategize. gering participants (either learners or
What tools will you use? What questions adults). Support young learn-
will you ask? How will you sequence the ers to understand
Let the team go through the triggering
various tools? their role and be
process from start to end.
able to facilitate.
Choose another team to partner with. Generate comments on what was done
Go outside with them and take turns well and what could be improved from
practicing conducting a full triggering. Tip
other participants.
Provide feedback on what was done well Learners have a
Ask all participants to take note of the
and what could have been improved after
comments. short attention span
each turn.
and it is best if facil-
Call another team to move forward and
Trainers should go around and provide itators keep time.
demonstrate, then launch into com-
specific feedback to the pairs on their Start triggering by
ments and feedback. Repeat this pro-
facilitation skills. half 8 and end by
cess until all teams have a chance to
After each team has had a chance to demonstrate! half 10 so it does not
practice and receive feedback at least interfere with the
once (more is better), bring the whole serving of porridge.

Exercise 3— school triggering

On the third day of training, participants are ready for hands-on triggering. Trainers should choose a
school to trigger; the easiest school would be the one based at TDCs, presuming it hasn’t been triggered
yet.

Triggering Day Schedule

• Bring the school and invited community members together for brief introduction. Mention that facil-
itators are here to learn about the situation at the school, but DO NOT say that it is about sanita-
tion and hygiene at the start (keep it general).
• Break into triggering groups (i.e. junior learners, senior learners and adults) and go to various parts
of the school.
• Once all groups are triggered, the school will come back together again to present the action plans
(adults’ action plan, and action plan(s) from junior and senior learners). It is possible that the school
enrolment is large, in which case you may choose to further divide junior and senior classes into sev-
eral groups for the full school gathering.
Part 7: Next Steps

After the three-day training, facilitators are ready to trig-

ger their schools.

Each group should set a date for when their school is to be

triggered. It is best for triggering to take place on the fol-
lowing week in order to ensure that their knowledge and
skills obtained from the training remain fresh.

Schedule time and ensure that the PEA, HSAs, and another
trainer are available to support the triggering.

The Head Teacher should then inform teachers of the trig-

gering day so that they can re-arrange their lesson plans
and control crowds if necessary. Invitations to community
members should also be sent well in advance, with reminders
closer to the day of triggering.

Follow-ups are key; be sure that post-triggering follow-ups

are planned for and conducted. It is also important to imme-
diately verify and recognize the school when they complete
all the activities in the action plan.

Scaling up SLTS

Your Role as District SLTS Managers

Plan for at least a few schools to be triggered in each term.

Follow up with the PEAs to ensure their schools are achieving

Star School status; if very few schools are completing their ac-
tion plans, it may be time to review and evaluate your approach
and plan for improvement.
Beyond the School Grounds

Encourage ways that villages around school can be total sanitation and meet all the national standards
for school sanitation; They will also receive recognition and the whole areas can be celebrated!

Ideas for going beyond the school

• Have adults triggered at the SLTS triggering to take part in making their communities ODF
• School children can act as Agents of Change in their community; perhaps the School WASH Club
can organize community triggering together with Natural Leaders!
• As part of mathematics or statistics courses, students can measure the ODF status of their com-
munities; as a class, they can collect data from all the surrounding communities and create graphs
that provide a picture of the sanitation situation in the community. Data to be collected include:
• Number of households with latrines with covers
• Number of households with hand washing facilities
• Number of communities ODF in school catchment areas
• Any other brilliant ideas???

Key things found in Three Star Schools

Same as Two Star School status plus:
School facilities and systems upgraded to meet all the national standards.
• Social norms on good hygiene are institutionalized, including menstrual hy-
giene management
• Child friendly designs and location of WASH facilities to secure safety and
privacy
• Stance to latrine-learners ratio (1:60) of VIP latrines or Water Closets
• Inclusiveness, accessibility for all learners Caption describing picture or
• Regular monitoring and supervision by district offices, teachers and SMCs
graphic.
• Regular monitoring and feedback among learners (peers) on hygiene practices
Extra Resources

Tips and Tricks for Successful SLTS

Key Points Training Tips

SLTS is different from past approaches Being prepared will ensure a successful
and requires skilled facilitation, espe- training.
cially in engaging young participants.
Take breaks and use energizers to
Good facilitators do not lecture or tell keep participants engaged.
people what to do.
Encourage active participation.
The goal of SLTS is to empower school
communities to own their sanitation and Active listening
hygiene issues and take actions to im-
prove them toward total sanitation.
Starting a day by reviewing the materi-
al from the previous day.
Good facilitation and follow-ups are the
most important part of SLTS.
Have FUN!

Key Resources

Field Guide: The Three Star Approach for WASH in

Schools by GIZ and UNICEF

WASH in Schools Monitoring Package by UNICEF

Community-Led Total Sanitation Handbook by Kamal Kar

and Robert Chambers

Community-Led Total Sanitation Knowledge Hub

(www.communityledtotalsanitation.org) - search for SLTS
resources

How to Trigger for Hand Washing with Soap Guidelines

by UNICEF Malawi
 SLTS Process Recording Form (Example)

RECORD ANY OBSERVATIONS OR INSIGHTS ON THE BACK OF THE PAGE (e.g. community comments, facilitator techniques, etc) →
Presentation Outline for SLTS Facilitators

After the practical exercises at SLTS facilitator training, facilitators shall share their
findings with their peer facilitators. An example of presentation outline on their field ob-
servations is as follows;

• Name of the school

• Name of Zone
• Name of TA
• Enrolment (population)
• Number of villages surrounding the school
• Number of pit latrines for girls, boys and teachers
• Number of urinals for girls and boys
• Number of pit latrines with drop hole covers in the school
• Number of hand washing facilities in the school
• Date of the first triggering through SLTS
• Whether the surrounding community of the school triggered has been triggered through
CLTS
• Tools used per sub-group i.e. infant, senior, adults (which tools worked better and why)
• The triggering response reached/agreed
• Action plan agreed (activities), time frame, responsible officer (Means of Verification)
• When should the Extension Workers visit them and names of those extension workers
• When should the DCT members visit the school
• Any lessons learnt
• Challenges experienced during the first SLTS triggering
• Any observations worth sharing
 One Star School:
All the indicators need to be constantly met at least for three months to be awarded.

Baseline
Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up
[Name of School] (triggering)
[Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date]
[Date]
Do pupils in the school wash their
hands in a group before eating?
Does the school have any types of
latrines?

Are school latrines used and clean?

Are drop holes covered after use?

Is there shit in the open within the

school premise?
Do learners routinely sweep or
clean school compound?
Do learners dip their dirt hands
into drinking water in a bucket in
the school?
Do learners have a separate cup
for drinking water from the one
for scooping water from a bucket?
Monitoring Checklist for Teachers, SMCs, PEAs and HSAs

Are SMC members and teachers

trained in 3 key hygiene practices?
 Two Star School:
All the indicators need to be constantly met at least for three months to be awarded.

Baseline Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up

[Name of School]
[Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date]
Do pupils use soap when washing
their hands at the time of observa-
tion?
Does the school provide safe drink-
ing water for all learners every day
during the school calendar?
Does the source of drinking water
for learners safely treated or pro-
tected?
Does the school have buckets with a
lid and tap for hand washing?
Does the school have any types of
urinals for boys and girls separate-
ly?
Do teachers, HSAs and/or communi-
ty members provide guidance to
girls for their menstrual hygiene
management?
Do SMC members and teachers con-
Monitoring Checklist for Teachers, SMCs, PEAs and HSAs

duct at least weekly monitoring and

supervision of sanitation and hygiene
activities?
 Three Star School:
All the indicators need to be constantly met at least for three months to be awarded.
Baseline Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up Follow-up
[Name of School]
[Date] [Date] [Date] [Date] [Date]
Does the school catchment community develop a by-laws or any
regulations on 3 key hygiene practices?
Do learners, teachers and community members talk about men-
struation as the natural physical growth and menstrual hygiene
management without fear and hesitation?
Are the designs of WASH facilities, including support for men-
strual hygiene management in the school complied with the na-
tional standards? (*Definition of the national standards)
Do school latrines meet the minimum latrine-learners ratio of
1:60?
Do school latrines meet permanent structure of urinals for boys
and girls separately?

Are WASH facilities in the school accessible for all learners?

(especially for children with disabilities and infants)

Does each learner have his/her own drinking cup in the school?

Is there shit in the open in school catchment communities? (No.

of communities and its status of OD/ODF)
Does school provide soap for hand washing every day during the
school calendar and protect it from misuse?
Do PEAs or extension workers conduct at least monthly monitor-
Monitoring Checklist for Teachers, SMCs, PEAs and HSAs

ing and supervision of sanitation and hygiene activities?

Do learners conduct daily peer monitoring and weekly reporting

on 3 key hygiene practices?
For more information, please contact:

Chimwemwe Nyimba Mercy Mwapasa Kazumi Inden

WASH Specialist CNHAO-SHN WASH Specialist
UNICEF Malawi Ministry of Education, Science and Technology UNICEF Malawi
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
+265 888 540 559 +265 999 930 661 +265 994 501 297