Innovation for improved hand hygiene: Field testing the Autarky handwashing station in collaboration with informal settlement residents in Durban, South Africa

Sutherland, Catherine; Reynaert, Eva; Sindall, Rebecca; Riechmann, Michel E.; Magwaza, Fanelesibonge; Lienert, Judit; Buthelezi, Sibongile; Khumalo, Duduzile; Dhlamini, Sifiso; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Udert, Kai M.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149024

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Other handwashing stations such as the Autarky, an on-site system that treats and recycles water for handwashing and toilet flushing, also show that niche interventions can be successful in informal settlements (ie, housing that does not comply with the local requirements for traditional housing) when they are culturally and environmentally appropriate. 39 Similar to the Autarky, the Mini-PASS was produced with community members, leading to high acceptability among homeowners.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of In-Home Handwashing Stations on Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Unpiped Rural Alaska Native Homes

Harmon,

Howe,

Schaeffer

et al. 2024

Public Health Rep

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Objectives: More than 3300 rural Alaska Native homes lack piped water, impeding hand hygiene. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnered with 10 Tribal communities and regional Tribal health organizations to install a low-cost, intermediate-technology water and sanitation system, the Miniature Portable Alternative Sanitation System (Mini-PASS). We assessed the impact of the Mini-PASS handwashing station on handwashing, other water-related uses, and problems encountered over time. Methods: In this pre–postintervention study, we conducted semi-structured interviews by telephone seasonally with representatives of 71 households with the Mini-PASS from February 2021 through November 2022 to assess the impact of the units on water use and health. Results: Before Mini-PASS installation, all participating households primarily used washbasins for handwashing. Postintervention, more than 70% of households reported using the Mini-PASS as their primary handwashing method in all 3 follow-up intervals (3, 6-9, and 12 months postintervention). The proportion of households using the handwashing station for other household tasks increased during 12 months, from 51.4% (19 of 37) at 3 months postintervention to 77.8% (21 of 27) at 12 months postintervention. Although approximately 20% to 40% of households reported problems with their handwashing station during the 12 months postintervention, a large proportion of interviewees (47% to 60%) said they were able to conduct repairs themselves. Conclusions: Households in rural Alaska quickly adopted the Mini-PASS for hand hygiene and other needs and were largely able to troubleshoot problems themselves. Further research evaluating the impact of improved handwashing behaviors facilitated by the Mini-PASS should be conducted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their discussion of the principles of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, Sutherland et al 39 emphasized the importance of working with communities to ensure the intervention is environmentally appropriate. Other studies have demonstrated the importance of an environmentally appropriate handwashing station to facilitate use.…”

Section: Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of In-Home Handwashing Stations on Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Unpiped Rural Alaska Native Homes

Harmon,

Howe,

Schaeffer

et al. 2024

Public Health Rep

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“…In the school setting, fencing, an alarm system, and a security guard were required to minimise theft and vandalism from persons outside the school environment. Household testing sites were often lowest risk, as there was strong ownership of the prototype and an interest in making testing a success (Sutherland et al, 2021b).…”

Section: Lesson 2: Technologies Must Be Localised To Suit the Testing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the close collaboration with the municipality meant that issues with municipal infrastructure in host communities were likely to be dealt with promptly. The community was able to leverage the EFTP to reduce the distance between themselves and formal support structures in the municipality, as well as to access development support through other stakeholders (Sutherland et al, 2021a;2021b). This was evident when two informal settlement sites experienced disasters (flooding and fire) during the testing period and the EFTP was able to mobilise charitable donations to provide disaster relief support.…”

Section: Lesson 3: Continuous Community Engagement Is Vital To Ensure Social Justice Address Concerns and Foster Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned from operating a pre-commercialisation field-testing platform for innovative non-sewered sanitation in Durban, South Africa

Sindall

Cottingham

Arumugam

et al. 2021

WSA

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The Engineering Field Testing Platform (EFTP) was designed to provide an opportunity for technology developers (TDs) to test non-sewered sanitation prototypes in the eThekwini Municipal Area (Durban), South Africa. Between 2017 and 2020, 15 sanitation systems were tested in informal settlements, peri-urban households, and other ‘real world’ settings. This paper illustrates the lessons learned from establishing and managing this testing platform. Costs and timelines for testing are dependent on several factors, including the aims of testing, the development stage of the prototype, whether testing takes place in a community or household setting and if a testing site is shared between prototypes. Timelines were routinely underestimated, particularly for community engagement and commissioning of prototypes to reach steady-state operation. Personnel accounted for more than half of the EFTP’s costs. The presence of the municipality as a platform partner was vital to the success of testing, both for gaining political support and for enabling access to testing sites. It is noted that working in communities, with test sites in public spaces, requires technical and social sensitivity to context. It was important to ensure testing supported future municipal decision-making on service provision, as well as longer-term development within communities. The high number of stakeholders, locally and internationally, raised management challenges common to any large project. However, the EFTP added value to TDs, the eThekwini Municipality, and communities requiring improved sanitation services; this was amplified through the platform approach.

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Social acceptability and household expectations of green sanitation systems

Sutherland

2023

City and Environment Interactions

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Innovation for improved hand hygiene: Field testing the Autarky handwashing station in collaboration with informal settlement residents in Durban, South Africa

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

Impact of In-Home Handwashing Stations on Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Unpiped Rural Alaska Native Homes

Impact of In-Home Handwashing Stations on Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Unpiped Rural Alaska Native Homes

Lessons learned from operating a pre-commercialisation field-testing platform for innovative non-sewered sanitation in Durban, South Africa

Social acceptability and household expectations of green sanitation systems

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