Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/149598 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
ZEF Discussion Papers on Development Policy No. 213
Publisher: 
University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of the specially designed packages of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions with 'student brigades' (student teams tasked with maintaining hygiene in school) on household WASH behavior and practices in both a household and farm setting. In addition, household members' health and developmental productivity outcomes were also examined. A randomized control trial (RCT) involving student brigades (SBs) was carried out in six sub-districts (hotspots) characterized by comparatively poor WASH indicators. The specially designed WASH-agriculture treatment consisted of three interventions: (1) informing the households about the prior water testing results; (2) delivering hygiene messages with the help of posters; (3) equipping SB members with water quality test kits and asking them to test the water quality at different places and report their findings to their household. Employing the difference-in-difference (DID) multivariate regression technique, the analysis revealed that the BRAC WASH treatment performed well in terms of effecting behavioral changes and improving hygiene practices. In addition, the results suggested that informing households of their drinking water quality and conveying WASH-agriculture hygiene messages to them could have a significant incremental impact over the existing BRAC WASH treatment in changing household hygiene behavior and practices at home and on farms. This research provides evidence that students can act as agents of change in improving water quality, sanitation and health in a rural setting.
Subjects: 
Water quality information
WASH-Agriculture hygiene messages
BRAC WASH program
student brigades
randomized control trial
DiD multivariate regression
behavioral change
Bangladesh
JEL: 
C9
I15
Q11
Q15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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