22 October 2012

PHAST: Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation

Over the past few months I have attended and facilitated two conferences on a process called PHAST. It is similar to the CLTS approach, but it is broader and covers all hygiene and sanitation issues a community may face (not just open defecation). In that sense it is more versatile and adaptable to different communities. In these conferences we have trained people who will soon go into villages and launch this approach. Below is a tool that explains PHAST in its seven steps.
*© World Health Organization, 1998.

I am really hoping that before I leave, we get to see this process in action as an alternative or additional approach to CLTS in villages. Hypothetically CLTS will cover latrines, and PHAST will cover hand washing and water purification. With these three behavior change activities, the faecal-oral route will have a much more difficult time continuing. Here is a picture of the participants in the Ngaoundere conference running through a simulation of PHAST activities.