PHAST step-by-step guide: a participatory approach for the control of diarrhoeal disease

This step-by-step guide can help you help communities improve their environments and manage their water and sanitation facilities, particularly for prevention of diarrhoea! disease. You won't need to do a lot of additional background reading, but you will need training in either the PHAST1 or SARAR2 methodology upon which this guide is based. You will also need some technical knowledge about diarrhoea! disease transmission to share with community members and to guide discussion.

The participatory techniques used in the PHAST initiative have proved to be very successful and rewarding for communities and for facilitators. So much so, that community workers who took part in the initial pilot study to test the use of participatory techniques for improving hygiene behaviours did not want to go back to their previous methods. They wanted to continue with the participatory approach because results were much better and the process was more enjoyable. But don't simply take our word for it. Invest time in learning about participatory techniques and how to use them. Enquire about training opportunities or ask to take part in ongoing projects that use a participatory approach.