Faith in Water was delighted to take part in both the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) conference, convened by UNICEF and Columbia University in New York this month, and the MHM in Ten meeting the following day. 

As well as having a poster submission accepted for the MHM conference we also attended the event in person; hundreds more people from around the world took part in the live virtual conference. 

You can find our poster, which outlined our engagement of faith schools and faith leaders in Uganda earlier this year, on the WASH in Schools' Mapping website here. 

We also attended the next day's MHM in Ten meeting to look at how to advance the MHM agenda in schools. Both days were engaging, challenging and uplifting. While there is much to be achieved in moving forward the MHM agenda, it was inspiring to hear of all the initiatives, studies and campaigns launched in this area. Faith in Water is playing its part by engaging faith groups to view menstrual health as critical for girls' health, education and wellbeing.

The report of the third MHM in Ten meeting, held in October 2016, has been released. Read the full report: MHM in Ten: Advancing the MHM Agenda in Schools. 

It's one of the biggest challenges facing anyone working in water and sanitation. No matter how many toilets or hand washing stations you build, they will be a monumental waste of money if people don't use them. 

India is trying to grapple with this problem. It has more open defecators than any other country in the world. Over the last few decades the government has implemented national programmes to change this, including the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), a national programme launched in 2014 with the aim of eliminating open defecation by 2019.

However, the demand for sanitation – i.e. a genuine demand for toilets and actual use of those toilets – has not been encouraging.

​In September, a number of experts met in Delhi to discuss the reasons for this and what can be done to bring about lasting behaviour change. For a longer report of the meeting, visit the article on Sanitation Updates. However, here are a few key lessons.

• It is just as important to understand what doesn’t work, as well as to understand what behaviour change interventions do work.
• Actual change in behaviour and practice in communities takes time. Interventions have to be designed to be delivered over a longer time with relevant and progressive messaging.
• Put communities first. Every community is different. Make sure you understand their context.
• The lack of land tenure security, cramped and smelly toilets can affect the adoption of hygienic behaviour.
• Low aspirations and negative self-perception, reinforced by sanitation campaigns focusing on shame and disgust, may discourage the poor to construct toilets.  
• Actions that reinforce communities’ pride in their way of life and cultural habits make them more open towards behaviour change messages.
• Another positive trigger is exposure to properly designed, well-functioning and clean toilet facilities in health care facilities, schools, bus/train stations etc. Toilets are more likely to be used if there is good light, space and ventilation, easy access to water and simple pit cleaning technology. 
• Children have a key role to play in behaviour change. Dettol's Swachhata Ki Paathshala campaign incorporates sanitation messaging into the school curriculum in different regional languages. 
• Faith-based leaders have been instrumental in influencing a large section of the community to adopt hygienic behaviour and toilets, according to the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance; 99% of Indians belong to a faith. The Alliance plans to start a ‘Swachhata Kranti’ (Clean Revolution).
• Targeting only women will not solve India’s sanitation problems. The focus should be all household members, including men.