Natural leaders

This Field Note discusses the evolution of sanitation programming in UNICEF and the origins of CATS (Community Approaches to Sanitation). It examines each of the CATS essential elements and explores their implementation through country case studies. The case studies illustrate a range of methods under the CATS umbrella: Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in Sierra Leone and Zambia; School-Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) in Nepal; and the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in India.

A CLTS training of trainers course, was carried out in two locations in the Eastern Highlands Province of PNG to build the capacity of non-state actors, health staff and government district staff in hygiene and sanitation promotion.

Read about the background, objectives, outcomes and future plans of the CLTS pilots in PNG

Read feedback from two CLTS champions that emerged

by Anupma Verma, Knowledge Links, India

One pager on how Natural Leaders in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttrakhand and Meghalaya in India are being used as community consultants to inspire other villages.

UNICEF Sanitation and Hygiene Case Study #6

Account of how Chief Macha has led the CLTS campaign ‘No shit, please! One family, one toilet.’ in Choma and how this, together with the involvement of other traditional leaders, has boosted efforts to transform rural sanitation in the country.

April to June 2010 issue (with articles on how Natural Leaders are rolling out CLTS across Sierra Leone, ODF celebrations in Langurama Kingdom in Kenema District, and School Sanitation Hygiene Education [SSHE] and School-led Total Sanitation [SLTS])

January to March 2010 issue (with articles on new CLTS innovations, the progress of Gbondoma

Enamul Huda (2009)

This paper which forms part of the IDS research project Going to Scale? The Potential of Community-led Total Sanitation draws up a profile of Natural Leaders (NL) in Bangladesh and explores their market promotion. It is based on data collected through action research with NGOs such as CARE-SDU, VERC and Dishari (DAM-Plan Bangladesh).

‘Living Blue’ is the brand name for the textiles that have been produced by Nijera Cottage and Village Industries (NCVI), a private limited company set up by producers to represent the various social enterprises which they own as autonomous financial entities.

‘Living Blue’, a brand that stands for high quality, hand-made products, is an example of how CLTS can build the solidarity and empower communities to engage in other livelihood-related activities beyond sanitation.