Sanitation Service Delivery Program Annual Report FY20 – October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
Submission Date: October 30, 2020 Cooperative Agreement Number: AID-624-A-14-00005 Activity Start Date and End Date: October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2020 AOR: Margaret McMorrow
Submitted by: Population Services International 1120 19th Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 785-0072 Email: [email protected]
This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development West Africa Regional Mission (USAID/WA).
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Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS ...... 3 INTRODUCTION ...... 4 COUNTRY PLANS ...... 8 SSD – CÔTE D’IVOIRE ...... 8 COMPONENT 1: INCREASE ACCESS TO IMPROVED SANITATION ...... 8 COMPONENT 2: INCREASE SAFE CONTAINMENT, TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL OF FECAL WASTE……………………20 COMPONENT 3: DISSEMINATE LEARNING ON MARKET-BASED APPROACHES ...... 22 CROSSCUTTING: MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING ...... 27 SSD – BENIN ...... 30 COMPONENT 1: INCREASE ACCESS TO IMPROVED SANITATION ...... 30 COMPONENT 2: INCREASE SAFE CONTAINMENT, TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL OF FECAL WASTE…………………….40 COMPONENT 3: DISSEMINATE LEARNING ON MARKET-BASED APPROACHES ...... 50 CROSSCUTTING: MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING ...... 64 FOCUS ON GENDER AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS ...... 67 ANNEX A ...... 68
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List of Acronyms
ABMS Association Béninoise pour le Marketing Social (Benin) BMGF Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CDI Côte d’Ivoire CSO Civil Society Organization CSP Community Sanitation Promotor DGA National Direction of Sanitation (Benin) DHIS2 District Health Information System 2 DNSP National Direction of Public Health (Benin) EHSD Environmental Health and Sanitation Department (Ghana) EHO Environmental Health Officers (Ghana) EMMP Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan FSM Fecal Sludge Management GWMA Ga West Municipal Authority (Ghana) IPA Innovations for Poverty Action KMA Kumasi Metropolitan Authority (Ghana) ME&L Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning MFI Microfinance Institution MMT Market Monitoring Tools MoU Memorandum of Understanding ONAD National Office of Sanitation and Drainage (Côte d’Ivoire) ONAS National Sanitation Office (Sénégal) PEBCo Programme d'Epargne Crédit à Base Communautaire PEV Plan Epargne Vidange (Desludging Savings Plan) PLB Public Latrine Blocks PSI Population Services International ROI Return on Investment SD Samalex Digester (Ghana) SDM Service Delivery Model SME Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise SSD Sanitation Service Delivery Program TSA Toilet Sales Agent (Ghana) UDDT Urine Diversion Dry Toilet USAID United States Agency for International Development VTO Vacuum Truck Operator VIP Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WRP Whitten & Roy Partnership WSUP Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor
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INTRODUCTION
Background
The Sanitation Service Delivery (SSD) program is a $17.8 million USAID/West Africa regional urban sanitation initiative that operated in Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, and Ghana from October 2014 to September 2020 with one year of extension (Oct 2019-September 2020). The program is implemented by Population Services International (PSI) in collaboration with PATH and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). With the emergence of the global pandemic of COVID-19, the project has been granted a one-year extension to continue implementation until September 2021, bringing the total funding for SSD to $19.9 million. This extension year will focus on COVID-19 prevention activities during sanitation activities in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire.
Vision
The project’s goal is to influence the region’s sanitation sector to create a more effective, efficient and inclusive sanitation market for the urban poor in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. The project works toward achieving this goal by developing and testing scalable, market-based models that directly contribute to improve the following outcomes:
▪ Increased access to improved sanitation. ▪ Increased safe containment, transport and disposal of fecal waste. ▪ Regional learning to inform market-based approach sanitation programs throughout West Africa.
Global Project overview
Project implementation in Year 6 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first cases were recorded in both project countries in March. This situation forced SSD to adapt its field interventions by establishing protective measures for actors and developing and disseminating prevention messages to populations. The project also supported both countries’ governments in prevention measures. With the agreement of USAID, the project supported those in charge of fighting the pandemic by giving input on awareness campaigns related to the COVID-19. In Côte d'Ivoire, the project supported the Direction of Rural Sanitation by supplying prevention materials and producing handwashing posters and pamphlets for an amount of $5,775.86 U.S. In Benin, the project supported the Association of Entrepreneurs and town halls with prevention materials for a total amount of $6,587.39 U.S.
In FY2020, the number of latrine products sold in Benin and Cote d’Ivoire was 20,243, which was a 500% increase over the average annual sales rate of the previous five years, indicating a steep increase in the rate of sales, even during the pandemic.
Number of latrine products sold as a result of project activities: For annual achievements, out of a project target of 22,096, a total of 20,243 toilets were sold, representing an achievement of 91.61%.
Number of people receiving improved sanitation service quality from an existing "limited" or "basic" service as a result of the program: For Year 6, 274,324 people were reached out of the 459,019 planned for a completion rate of 59.76%.
Number of people gaining access to basic sanitation as a result of project activities: In Year 6, 127.13% (22,459 people reached out of the 17,666 planned) of the target was achieved.
Number of people who gain access to limited sanitation as a result of project activities: For the Year 6 target, 92.02% (6,823 beneficiaries out of the planned 7,415) was achieved.
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Number of liters of fecal sludge safely removed and transported as a result of U.S. government assistance1: For the Year 6 target, the completion rate was 115.17% (66,463,000 liters removed out of the expected 57,708,588).
The improvement of micro-entrepreneurs’ employment conditions is a key project indicator. The department focused on the 16 new entrepreneurs obtained since January 2020. All 16 were active three months later and had installed at least one SaniPlus product. The entrepreneurs were interviewed by telephone to complete the following evaluation:
Evaluation question 1: How would you rate your technical skills before the SSD training? The results show that 13% of entrepreneurs felt they did not have sufficient technical skills before the project intervened, and 44% rated their technical skills as medium/average.
Evaluation question 2: How would you rate your skill level after the SSD training? For this question, 100% of entrepreneurs felt their skills were either good or very good and had improved as a result of the project’s intervention.
Evaluation question 3: How would you rate your economic condition following the SSD intervention?
Entrepreneurs reported that their economic conditions improved. They estimate that their average revenue increase of 68% per month following the project’s intervention. Thus, the project can conclude the economic conditions improved for entrepreneurs who were interviewed.
Côte d’Ivoire Project overview
In Year 6, the project continued its activities in supporting the emerging market; strengthening the capacities and skills of various market players, especially private-sector micro-entrepreneurs; increasing support from government institutions; and sharing lessons learned.
During the first 5 years of project implementation in Côte d'Ivoire, SSD developed sanitation products and services and laid the foundation for a sustainable sanitation market based on the following products: • Double pit latrines • SaTo pan toilet seats • Soakaway pits
These products are promoted and marketed under the SaniPlus brand. In Year 6, the SSD project continued its efforts to promote SaniPlus to households, so they adopt these products as solutions to improve their sanitation. The objectives to disseminate SaniPlus products for social impact experienced difficulties, due to micro- entrepreneurs not feeling like they had ownership and some sales agents’ actions, so the project reviewed its strategy. In March, the project ended contracts with the existing sale agents and developed capacity-building actions for micro entrepreneurs to set up and manage their own marketing activities and their own sales forces. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted this activity. In the end, this year’s objectives were not satisfactorily achieved.
The second brand promoted by the project in Côte d'Ivoire is Vidange Plus. Vidange Plus is a service dedicated to the collection, transport and safe treatment of fecal sludge. The project activities in this area also involve raising awareness among households and vacuum truck operators (VTOs) with the support of local authorities to promote better behavior in managing fecal sludge.
1 These numbers do not include data for Q4 for Benin, as they were not collected. This data will be included in the Q1 report for Year 7.
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Vidange Plus is supported by a call center managed by a private operator who connects households in need of an emptying service with VTOs trained by the project in the safe management of sewage. Vidange Plus is the only model of its kind on the Ivorian market, and the project is working to make more people aware of it. The call center operator was recruited during Q3 of Year 6 and began operations after agents were trained in data collection.
An attempt to set up a sanitation microloan system to help households and sanitation actors have easier access to improved sanitation services did not have the expected results. The selected microloan structure was unable to implement the anticipated vision because the entrepreneurs who were currently working with the project were unable to make the desired repayments. The selected microfinance institution was poorly structured and inexperienced. It lacks a strategy and rigorous recovery actions. Clients were not selected based on relevant criteria before loan disbursement. A legal signed loan contract was not signed with the clients prior to loan disbursement and most of the clients had considered these loans as a gift from a donor institution, not as a loan they must pay back to the institution. Thus, the microfinance component has been excluded from the project from Year 6 onwards. The microfinance structure still exists legally but no longer has any activities, which has made it impossible to set up a repayment monitoring plan.
A sales force of 90 agents was established and trained in the Results, Attitude, Competence, Effort (RACE) sales methodology. The project conducted demand creation activities, promotional activities and communication campaigns to support marketing and information activities for behavior change. However, these activities were severely hindered by the occurrence of COVID-19 at the beginning of Q3, with restrictive measures imposed until the end of Q4.
There were plans to recruit 16 new micro-entrepreneurs in the project's six new localities to strengthen the emerging market. The technical supervision of micro-entrepreneurs in the field was strengthened with 15 senior sanitation technicians added in Q1. Training on building products, compliance with construction standards, and secure data collection was provided to the entrepreneurs and project technicians.
An order of 10,000 SatoPan was placed in January and received in April 2020. The introduction of an importing wholesaler in the supply chain was planned for Year 6 and the terms of reference for its recruitment were published. However, COVID-19 stalled its progress.
The project planned several workshops with key partners, though some were cancelled due to COVID-19. SSSD did produce a poster on regulating emptying services for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Water and Health Conference and participated in the African Water Association (AfWA) Congress 2020 in Kampala in February. Articles, success stories, publications and blogs were shared on the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), AfWA, Facebook and Twitter forums. SSD supported the Ministry of Sanitation with a T-shirt and posters for 2019 World Toilet Day activities.
Benin Project overview
During Years 1 and 2, SSD Benin extensively investigated potential sanitation solutions, using human-centered design principles and processes to determine the specific sanitation solutions to scale up. Year 3 of the project marked an important transition in the SSD project lifecycle, as the full attention moved from exploration and testing to scale. The commercial models for the sanitation and fecal sludge management (FSM) solutions were further refined during the last half of Year 3 to better respond to market failure. The SSD Benin team chose two business models to employ: one on sanitation and one on FSM at the end of Year 3.
The focus in Years 4 and 5 was to increase access by bringing these sanitation and FSM solutions to scale, while being intentional about capturing and sharing lessons learned with interested audiences.
In extension Year 6, SSD focused on scaling up the most effective activities to build on the program’s successes. Concurrently, PSI continues to test and iterate approaches to achieve sustainability through transferring capacity and responsibility to market actors, including private businesses and municipal governments.
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In Year 6, activities focused on four areas that contribute to sustainable market development: • Increasing consumer preference for, and prioritization of, owning a hygienic toilet. • Improving the capacity of entrepreneurs to sustainably provide high-quality sanitation services. • Facilitating access to loans for consumers and service providers to purchase products. • Strengthening the capacity and commitment of government and private-sector actors.
In Year 6, the Benin team continued activities established since the beginning of the project to promote the WC MIMIN business model. Satisfactory results were achieved by improving project indicators. Overall, 944 full toilets and 14,961 toilet seats were sold, for a total of 15,905 latrine products sold. Overall, 21,575 people had access to basic sanitation, 5,423 people had access to limited sanitation, 243,443 people had access to improved sanitation, and 2,4382 people had access to safely managed sanitation. Additionally, 9,404 emptying services were sold, allowing for the removal of 65,727,000 liters of fecal sludge.
The Benin team focused on the following activities in Year 6:
• Mobilizing and engaging private-sector partners in the implementation of project models, including developing training modules and training and empowering entrepreneurs after the project ends. • Developing and operationalizing a marketing strategy with a focus on communication and the supervision of supply chain actors (community sanitation advisors, supervisors, and sanitation service and product entrepreneurs). • Involving government in demand creation and technical collaboration, including mobilizing key government actors at national and municipal levels, organizing meetings and exchange visits for key actors, and strengthening partnerships with municipal and government actors.
2 These numbers do not account for data in Q4, which is included later in the report.
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COUNTRY PLANS
SSD – CÔTE D’IVOIRE Table 1: SSD Côte d’Ivoire targets adjusted for Year 6
Intervention area Market size Sales target for Year 6
Yopougon 208,298 649 Abobo 201,949 1,631 Yamoussoukro 44,048 600 Bouaflé 12,619 230 Bouaké 84,783 649 Duekoué 15,502 516 Man 25,298 1,157 Gagnoa 28,121 303 Divo 18,266 349 Agboville* 9,178 584 Adzopé* 9,275 584 Tiassalé* 3,493 584 Toumodi* 7,297 584 Oumé* 7,081 584 Aboisso* 10,172 584 TOTAL 685,380 9,588
*New area for Year 6
COMPONENT 1: INCREASE ACCESS TO IMPROVED SANITATION
The SaTo pan toilet seat, introduced in Year 5, continued to be the best-seller of SaniPlus products, with a 95% market share over the other products, which include soakaway pits, double-pit latrines and septic tank. Project activities to increase the population’s access to improved sanitation products were implemented in two areas in Year 6.
While activities were somewhat slowed by the recruitment formalities at the beginning of the year, the first two quarter’s activities primarily continued as normal. During this period, the project's strategy focused on demand creation through 90 sales agents the project paid and managed to conduct related activities in 15 localities for the benefit of entrepreneurs.
Activities in the second part of the year were hindered by the occurrence of COVID-19, which led to restricted field activities from March onwards. Thus, a strategic shift was made. Activities for the 90 sales agents were terminated to instead establish a sales force specifically for entrepreneurs. A plan to strengthen entrepreneurs’ capacity through tele-coaching and following set indicators aimed to improve entrepreneurs’ opportunities for sustainability. This step revealed that a strong dependence of the micro-entrepreneurs on the sales force remunerated by the project could be an obstacle to the growth of microentrepreneurs towards sustainability. It is important to set up a capacity building strategy and put into place capacity building actions that will support micro-entrepreneurs gain autonomy in terms of management and marketing.
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Activity 1: Strengthen the quality and sustainability of toilet service delivery
1. Producing a technical manual to create products Faced with the challenge of improving the quality of onsite sanitation products and the services of project entrepreneurs, SSD decided to write and disseminate a technical manual on the processes and construction standards for the project’s onsite sanitation products. The Ministry of Sanitation was alerted of this initiative and welcomed it, expressing a wish to make this document a reference manual for actors in the sanitation sector to popularize construction standards for onsite sanitation products. A review committee was established to work with the project’s technical team to edit this manual. The first version of the manual was drafted and submitted to the Ministry of Sanitation review committee in Q2, and the ministry’s technical teams have started to revise the manual to submit it for validation to the Minister of Sanitation. By September 2020, the 6th revised version was submitted to the Manual cover committee for validation before transmitting it to the ministerial cabinet for approval. Once finalized, 200 copies of the manual will be edited and made available to the technical services of town halls, the departmental directorates of the Ministry of Sanitation, project entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the onsite sanitation sector.
2. Producing a simplified SaniPlus construction guide for SSD entrepreneurs A poster was designed that highlights best practices in terms of complying with material dosage and construction standards for prefabricated elements (concrete ring molds, slabs equipped with or without SaTo pan, seated and squat toilets) used in SaniPlus product. This poster aimed to strengthen masons’ technical capacities and improve product quality. Overall, 200 copies of the poster were produced and distributed to SSD entrepreneurs and their masons. Construction guide for entrepreneurs 3. Producing a user guide for beneficiary households to better manage products Households’ poor maintenance and toilet use was noted during field visits, which negatively impacts the toilets’ duration. Thus, the project designed a self-adhesive poster with practical advice to properly use and maintain toilets. Illustrations to educate beneficiaries on proper handwashing after using the toilet are included on the poster. The following quantities of materials were produced and provided to SSD entrepreneurs to distribute to households: • 2,000 copies of self-adhesive posters for micro- entrepreneurs to place in households to raise awareness on the improved use of SaniPlus toilets. This poster includes the phone number of the claims management line (75 14 22 22) that was established to collect and process beneficiaries’ complaints about the quality of entrepreneurs’ work or behavioral issues. • 10,000 copies of self-adhesive posters, which mark the User guide invoice numbers of installed SaniPlus products to easily
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trace the products and monitor invoice data, were also produced following a recommendation from the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Department.
4. Refresher training on quality control standards for technical supervisors A refresher workshop to strengthen capacity in quality control and technical coaching for project entrepreneurs was organized for the 10 senior sanitation technicians working in the field. This workshop was organized with entrepreneurs for technical assurance and to monitor the technical skills of entrepreneurs and their masons. The workshop was held in the second quarter in Jacqueville, which is 50 km from Abidjan.
Workshop participants
This refresher course reviewed the technical aspects of product construction, installation procedures for SaniPlus products, quality control standards for prefabricated elements and data collection. The workshop was an opportunity for technicians and technical assistants to share mutual experiences, review the reporting framework for data and activities, produce septic tank specifications, and discuss technical difficulties encountered with certain types of soil when installing products. A pre-test at the beginning of the training helped evaluate participants’ knowledge, and a post-test helped evaluate participants’ skills acquired during this refresher training. This week was topped off with a team-building activity.
5. Learning workshop with micro-entrepreneurs With the aim to improve individuals’ technical skills through project intervention, a workshop for 52 micro- entrepreneurs from project implementation localities took place in Q2 in Yamoussoukro. This workshop was the framework for orienting micro-entrepreneurs on marketing approaches to adopt to be more autonomous and less dependent on the project's sales force in the demand creation process. Within this framework, some entrepreneurs shared their experiences with improved construction techniques and marketing initiatives for product sales developed by certain entrepreneurs. This workshop was also the framework for a training session on the implementation of a minimum administrative and financial management system, the calculation of margins and production costs, and the possibility of reinvesting sales revenues for entrepreneurs.
The workshop included a discussion that highlighted an improved collaboration model between project actors, based on observations made in the field of some bad practices and dysfunctions. A decision was made to set up a hotline to collect beneficiaries’ complaints and use them to improve project interventions.
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Activity 2: Develop a sustainable supply chain for SatoPan
SaTo pan was introduced in the project at the end of Year 4. Thanks to the project’s promotional activities and its affordable cost, SaTo pan became the best-selling product in the emerging market. Toilets equipped with SatoPan are the most accessible products to households, so it is important to establish a sustainable supply chain to ensure the product is always available on the market. In Year 5, there were two periods when stock was unavailable due to malfunctions in the import chain. In Year 6, the projected decided to import a certain quantity to ensure the market was stocked. Thus, 10,000 SaTo pans were imported, following an order placed in January and received in April 2020. The project also decided to test SaTo pan’s commercialization with project micro-entrepreneurs. This test, planned for Q3, ultimately could not happen and was postponed to October 2020 due to COVID-19. The pandemic negatively impacted entrepreneurs’ activities and resources. The project produced a sales manual, and a sales channel was established with support from PSI's administration. A sales price was also calculated and proposed to entrepreneurs. Displaying SaTo pan
1. Identify a private actor to import and supply the market with SaTo pans With the aim of establishing a sustainable supply chain for SaTo pan, the project decided to introduce a private importer into the supply chain. Once selected, this importer would participate in the marketing test supervised by SSD, then be provided with a stock of 5,000 SaTo pans to establish themselves in the market, with the project encouraging the importation of 10,000 SaTo pans. Due to COVID-19, this activity’s implementation phase was postponed to Q1 of Year 7. However, the terms of reference for selecting the importer were drafted and validated in Q3.
2. Develop the SatoPan distribution circuit according to a pre-established pricing policy In Q1, the project produced a marketing manual for SaTo pan and submitted it for validation to PSI’s administration. In this manual, SaTo pan’s sales price was calculated and a description of how to make the commercial channel accessible to the market was included. In Q4, a survey was conducted in 15 areas with 48 manufacturers of non-improved toilets and about 30 hardware stores working with these manufacturers to determine the factors they consider when adopting SaTo pan. This survey also identified the marketing mix strategy deployed for the implementation of the project’s large-scale distribution. The survey results will be used to support the importer in developing its business strategy for the implementation of a sustainable SaTo pan supply chain.
The other elements planned under this activity, namely monitoring data from the selected importer and the marketing test with project micro-entrepreneurs, could not be completed on time due to COVID-19 and carried over to Q1 of Year 7. Therefore, during Year 6, SaTo pan continued to be distributed free of charge to entrepreneurs while sensitizing them to put funds in place for the sales phase.
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Activity 3: Increase the demand for and sales of SaniPlus toilets
Figure 1: Quarterly SaniPlus product sales from October 2019—September 2020
Quaterly sales diagram
2000 1788
1500 984 1000 514 395 500 221 97 107 196 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Toilets Other products
The adjusted target for Year 6 was 9,588 SaniPlus products for sale, almost double the previous year's target (5,715). The project was extended to six new localities with 15 total localities. To support project objectives, SSD conducted an evaluation with the existing sales force and recruited 35 new agents for the six new localities, bringing the total number of sales agents to 90, as well as acquired 16 new micro-entrepreneurs, bringing the number of active entrepreneurs to 52.
This sales scheme is supported at the marketing level by promotional activities in the field with the sales force, radio communication campaigns, posters and behavior change campaigns at the community level.
Commercial activities increased in Q1 and Q2, after a slow starting due to the renewal process for sales force contracts and administrative formalities. Sales and promotional activities were off to a good start in November 2019 with promotional activity in project localities and sales progressing well, even if the objectives were not met.
COVID-19 occurred in Q3 and Q4, which resulted in government restrictions that negatively impacted activities’ progress. The sales force was put on hold in favor of a sales development strategy by micro-entrepreneurs' own agents. There was a sharp drop in sales due to COVID-19 prevention measures, the lack of experience of the entrepreneur sales force and the weak managerial capacity of entrepreneurs.
In mid-July 2019, the project strengthened the demand creation mechanism by establishing a new type of entrepreneur, the Community Sanitation Promoter (CSP). These micro-entrepreneurs are linked to the project by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and specialize in promoting SaniPlus brand products. They set up their own network of sales agents and create demand to support the activities of the sales force and other entrepreneurs in return for a commission on products sold and installed, paid by entrepreneurs. Fifteen CSPs were recruited from former project supervisors and, at the end of Q4, helped increase sales. In terms of sales performance, the achievement rate was 45.24% (4,338 achieved out of an expected target of 9,588). In terms of lessons learned, we note that despite the previous motivation models put in place for the sales team, performance does not always follow, and readjustments made to make former players independent bring better performance.
1. Hire micro-entrepreneurs in new project areas Actions were taken to extend the project to six new localities: Aboisso, Adzopé, Agboville, Tiassalé, Toumodi and Oumé. In October 2019, a prospecting mission was conducted in these localities to establish a short list of potential micro-entrepreneurs who could integrate the project’s business model. This mission also made it possible to establish contact with affiliated town halls and designate focal points to establish collaboration
12 frameworks with these town halls, especially regarding mentoring project micro-entrepreneurs. This mission’s second phase involved interviewing micro-entrepreneurs on the shortlist and visiting their facilities to assess their skill levels. The project brought on 16 entrepreneurs, bringing the total number to 52.
2. Train micro-entrepreneurs and municipality technical agents in new areas on the technical aspects and construction of SaniPlus products A training workshop was organized in November 2019 in Yamoussoukro for the 16 newly recruited micro- entrepreneurs, seven new sanitation technicians, seven new senior technicians and technical agents of town halls. Town hall agents were involved to create a formal collaboration framework between SSD actors and town hall services. This training included technical standards in building onsite sanitation products, with the second part dedicated to practical aspects, for which the first day focused on building products (seated and squat toilets and concrete ring molds). An experienced micro-entrepreneur from Yamoussoukro oversaw experience sharing. The second day of the practical component took place at the N'gokro 1 and 2 school group. It focused on building an onsite sanitation system with one soakaway pit with four double concrete rings to collect shower water, one double pit with a user interface for waste collection and storage (feces and urine), and two toilet modifications with toilet seats.
Participants were evaluated through pre- and post-tests. The tests focused on their knowledge of technical construction standards for products, installation and quality control. The training also analyzed participants' capacities in theoretical and practical knowledge of SSD project products, the invoicing method, the code of ethics and good conduct. The results of the pre-test (45%) compared to those of the post-test (98%) show that participants’ capacities increased. At the end of the training, each micro-entrepreneur was given a set of molds, SaTo pan construction materials (cement and iron), and personal protective equipment (PPE) to start their businesses.
Training activities
3. Evaluate and reorganize the existing sales force In collaboration with human resource departments, the project renewed the contracts for 76 sales agents and 13 sales supervisors at the beginning of Year 6. In line with sales development objectives, a sales manager was recruited with the mission of developing sales for the "SaniPlus" and "Vidange Plus" brands.
To meet the strategic requirements of Year 6, the Technical Marketing and Business Advisor position transformed into a Technical Advisor in charge of capacity building and sustainability for micro-entrepreneurs. This is in line with the workplan’s primary objective: ensure the sustainability of the sanitation market. In Q2, the position was staffed with two assistants in charge of capacity building and sustainability for micro- entrepreneurs, with the role of leading an individualized coaching program for entrepreneurs. At the end of Q2, the Technical Advisor in charge of capacity building resigned from the project, so the two assistants in charge of capacity building provided coaching to micro-entrepreneurs.
A sanitation technical advisor was recruited following the departure of the previous advisor, and a second sanitation assistant joined the headquarters team to work on quality assurance issues. The Communication and Learning Manager position was changed to the Communication and Public Relations Manager. This change aims to better address issues related to the management of project relations with public authorities; government 13 institutions; and various institutional partners, including AfWA, CARE, the Union of Cities and Municipalities of Côte d'Ivoire (UVICOCI), the Assembly of Regions and Districts of Côte d'Ivoire (ARDCI), and the National Office of Sanitation and Drainage (ONAD).
To be more effective in community mobilization and behavior change, the project recruited a coordinator in charge of community mobilization and public relations. This person also acts as a focal point for the project's intervention municipalities and supports them in decision making and implementing local actions concerning good sanitation practices and social behavior change.
4. Recruit and train the sales force for new locations (agent and supervisor) In the project’s six new extension areas, 31 sales agents were recruited and six existing agents promoted to supervisors. Due to the difficulty in finding good candidates, only 31 sales agents and supervisors were acquired instead of the 48 planned. The new recruits were trained in the RACE sales method. A pre-test was conducted with a 46.82% result. A post-test was conducted with a 53.12% result. As this result only shows a slight improvement in trainees’ skills, personal coaching will be conducted to continue to increase their skills.
5. Developing and printing promotional sales materials (flyers, brochures, posters) for micro-entrepreneurs Sales support and promotional materials for SaniPlus products were produced and disseminated to target households during Year 6. Overall, 15,000 flyers advertising sanitation products were photocopied to facilitate the sales force’s field activities. Additionally, 5,000 posters advertising SaTo pans were produced and distributed to micro-entrepreneurs, with some intended for the sales force. Micro-entrepreneurs can register their contacts made during prospecting activities on these posters.
To promote Vidange Plus products, sales support and service promotional materials were designed and distributed to the Kamtar partner. These materials included 20,000 flyers that promote the Vidange Plus service, 500 posters in a 60x80cm format to display in public places, 15,000 stickers with the service number to be placed in households, 150 polo shirts for Kamtar sales representatives, and 1,000 T-shirts for the sales force’s promotional activities in the field.
Vidange Plus and Kamtar promotional materials
6. Organize prospecting/sales activities with agents In November 2019, SSD organized a promotional activity with 76 sales agents for one week in nine project areas, which resulted in selling 396 products. In Q2, the project encouraged sales supervisors to conduct routine surveys with households in their localities. The SSD sales force conducted these routine surveys from January to March 2020 in the 15 project areas. These surveys reached a little over 3,000 people, but the conversion rate could not be sufficiently monitored, and the registers made available to the agents for data collection were not properly kept. Given these findings, the low effectiveness of promotional activities in relation to the means used by the project, and the difficulty of relying on the sales force to collect reliable prospecting data to measure conversion rates, a decision was made to monitor the sales teams using indicators, such as the number of prospects per period, the conversion rate of prospects/customers per agent and the number of sales per agent per period. In the end, with COVID-19, a decision was made to separate from this force to focus on coaching efforts to develop the entrepreneur force.
7. Organize prospecting/sales activities with micro-entrepreneur’s own sales agents A prospecting sales activity was held at the end of Q2 with the entrepreneur sales force. The goal of this activity was to evaluate the quality of the commercial approach and demand creation capacity, in terms of size, of the junior entrepreneur sales force. This activity mobilized 20 micro-entrepreneurs, including 10 from the six new 14 localities (Oumé, Tiassalé, Toumodi, Aboisso, Agboville and Adzopé) and 10 operating in the localities of Gagnoa, Man, Yamoussoukro and Bouaké. More specifically, this activity was conducted in these different localities and consisted of door-to-door prospecting; meeting with community leaders; selling and installing products (toilet, soakaway pit, septic tank, double pit); conducting awareness actions at temporary stands with exhibitions that sell SaniPlus products; and raising awareness against open defecation and using open-interface toilets. The promotional activity helped sell and install 292 products. As a result of this activity, a focus on coaching has been identified to orient micro-entrepreneurs in recruiting and supervising their sales force with support from the SSD micro-entrepreneur capacity building and sustainability team.
Sales activities
In Q3, demand creation can be entirely attributed to the micro-entrepreneur sales force. As micro- entrepreneurs do not yet have sufficient managerial knowledge to monitor their force’s prospecting activities, the capacity building and sustainability team assisted them in this regard. The project provided micro- entrepreneurs with communication materials, and the coaching team regularly worked with them to build communication strategies and optimize their commercial actions, including establishing incentives for their agents based on the number of interested prospects recruited. In Q4, the project distributed flyers and communication materials to these entrepreneurs, while engaging them to produce their own promotional materials. These activities will be continued in Year 7 in view of their interest in market sustainability.
8. Build micro-entrepreneurs’ capacity to develop their own markets A workshop was organized with all micro-entrepreneurs in November 2019. During this workshop, project management asked PSI's audit department to lead a session on the ethical code. Other workshop interventions focused on the minimum standards of data manipulation. At the end of the workshop, the collaboration contract (MoU) between PSI/SSD and the micro-entrepreneurs was signed.
A department for capacity building and sustainability of micro-entrepreneurs was also created in Q1 to deal with issues concerning the development of entrepreneurs’ skills. Information was collected on micro-entrepreneurs’ capacities during Q2 in the 15 project localities. This data collection, conducted by the micro-entrepreneur capacity building team, was based on a questionnaire and enabled a diagnosis to be made for current and former micro-entrepreneurs to map and evaluate their training needs and coaching focus. The data analysis results were used to establish an evaluation and coaching grid for micro-entrepreneurs. This coaching focused on several indicators related to the commercial and operational performance of entrepreneurs (working capital, sales and reinvestment), which corresponded with organizational indicators (quality control score obtained, number of salespeople and masons, formalization, maintaining minimum accounting, and growth of professional assets). This activity enabled the implementation of an evaluation system for entrepreneurs. The project studied the possibility of establishing a bonus system to support entrepreneurs in adopting coaches’ recommendations. This bonus could take the form of commissions paid to their sales forces.
In Q3 and Q4, coaching focused on the following areas:
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Coaching to formalize activities To date, 65% of micro-entrepreneurs have obtained legal status through registering in the commercial register and with the tax authorities. This act has enabled them to place bids as entrepreneurs to certain institutions to obtain contracts. As a result, in September, an entrepreneur was able to sign a contract to produce 500 toilets for a cacao agricultural cooperative.
Coaching for the improvement of the production capacities of micro-entrepreneurs Thus far, 30% of micro-entrepreneurs who have been coached have strengthened their production forces and have, on average, recruited two artisans to produce and install products. At the commercial level, 45% of the active and coached micro-entrepreneurs were able to develop their own sales force with an average of four salespeople. A challenge remains in improving the management of the sales force and the expected impact on productivity.
Coaching to strengthen sales channels Overall, 86% of micro-entrepreneurs had a point of sale by the end of Q4. Under the coaching of the capacity building and sustainability team, a SaniPlus brand campaign was undertaken with local hardware stores. At the end of Q4, SSD entrepreneurs displayed SaniPlus products in 198 hardware stores, and this marketing channel accounted for 30% of micro-entrepreneurs' sales.
Coaching to improve managerial practices At the time of the diagnostic survey, 64% of entrepreneurs did not know about the concept of turnover and could not correctly differentiate their monthly income. They are taught management concepts through coaching on essential items, such as turnover, investments, savings, keeping sales records and depositing their income in the bank.
Coaching to improve revenue The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession it engendered have severely impacted marketing of products. Thus, many micro-entrepreneurs are struggling to reach the target of $1,000. However, it should be noted that 100% of coached micro-entrepreneurs kept a sales register, and 35% of these micro-entrepreneurs have opened accounts to deposit their income. The coaching team regularly monitors entrepreneurs’ performance and has identified nine entrepreneurs with a turnover of more than $1,000.
9. Implement a quality control strategy for sanitation structures involving technical supervisors and municipal authorities The project’s technical team had two meetings during Q2 with the Ministry of Sanitation to discuss collaboration between the project and the Autonomous Sanitation Directorate, with the aim of involving the ministry to ensure sustainability of project achievements. The meeting was also an opportunity to establish the publishing committee for the technical manual on onsite sanitation products and to manage approval for these products. A second meeting in Q2 made it possible to establish joint frameworks between this department and SSD for training and to involve the technical services of town halls in quality assurance.
In Q3, a joint work strategy was established with the technical agents of town halls; the technical agents of the Directorate of Rural Sanitation (DAR); SSD project technical staff (technical advisor, technical assistants and sanitation technicians); and micro-entrepreneurs. It includes the following components: • Hold monthly joint meetings to monitor the project’s progress in each locality. • Organize joint visits for quality control of products conducted by private actors. • Train public actors in quality control of onsite sanitation products. • Gradually transfer the supervision of sanitation actors to the technical structures of town halls.
Meetings were then held with the town halls in each of the 15 project localities for planning and implementation methods under this activity. In August 2020, the project’s technical team conducted quality control missions with members of the joint team (town hall agents, DAR agents and micro-entrepreneurs) in each of the 15 localities. The town halls raised obstacles for this activity’s sustainability, mainly the lack of a budget to conduct 16 these controls independently and regularly. Therefore, it will be a challenge in the coming year to define mechanisms for financing this activity and to advocate for its inclusion in town halls’ budgets.
10. Quality assurance, supervision and verification of products’ effectiveness The technical team conducted quality assurance every quarter to assess products installed. For these controls, the team gives a quality score that monitors entrepreneurs’ ability to provide quality services. The average rate of quality control this year was 83%. In Q3, the total score was 76%. These scores were the worst due to the withdrawal of the senior technicians who supervise entrepreneurs in the elaboration and validation of estimates and primary controls. The technical department sent warning letters to micro-entrepreneurs so that these shortcomings, which persist despite the training and support of technicians for micro-entrepreneurs, can be corrected.
11. Awareness and behavior change activities 11.1 Conduct an awareness campaign on the importance of handwashing and improved toilet facilities A household awareness campaign on simple hygiene rules, such as handwashing, was conducted at the end of Q2. Since this campaign was conducted at the beginning of COVID-19, handwashing was presented to the population as a proper precaution. A total of 550 posters covering the 10 steps for handwashing were printed and used by field teams to explain handwashing to households, and the poster was then placed in the households. This activity reached 550 households.
Handwashing guide 11.2 Awareness campaign on the network of 15 community radios on handwashing and COVID-19 A media campaign on the importance of handwashing and its promotion as a measure to prevent COVID-19 was also conducted through advocacy with community radio stations in the 15 project areas. The spots aired at least three times a day, and program spots were created with involvement from municipal authorities and community leaders. A total of 18,474 spots (in the local language and French) were broadcast.
11.3 Support the Ministry of Sanitation for a campaign of promotion of hand washing To strengthen handwashing campaigns, the project received a request from the Ministry of Sanitation for support in creating information, education and communication (IEC) materials. Since these awareness campaigns enable the project to extend prevention activities to areas not covered by the project through community-based agents with DAR, the project contributed the following items: • 2,000 self-adhesive posters (60x80) on barrier gestures • 10,000 flyers (A5 flyers) on barriers • 500 liters of hydroalcoholic gel
• 50 handwashing devices. It should be noted that this Minister of Sanitation receiving a handwashing contribution will help support the fight against COVID-19, device which is being conducted at the same time by DAR community agents.
11.4 Launch a radio campaign at the community level In March 2020, a promotional radio campaign for SaniPlus products began in the six new extension areas. A total of 240 spots, 120 in French and 120 in the local language, were broadcast by each of the local radio stations in the six towns over three months. The spots broadcast presented the advantages of SaniPlus latrines equipped with the SaTo pan seat, which prevents odors and the presence of harmful insects in the latrine. 17
In addition to the spots, two satirical sketches dealing with sanitation problems (lack of latrines, open defecation, latrine hygiene, drainage of wastewater from communal pits and use of mechanical emptying) were broadcast. These spots encouraged listeners to call SaniPlus entrepreneurs to solve their sanitation problems. In the end, 16 sketches were broadcast on each of the six radio stations over two months.
To contribute to the fight against COVID-19, the project contacted local radio partners to broadcast recorded messages in local languages on prevention methods for free. These messages are broadcast daily with the support of the Union of Proximity Radios in Côte d'Ivoire (URTCI).
11.5 Behavior change communication campaign An illustrative poster on good sanitation practices was produced to accompany the application of municipal by- laws in the awareness phase. A total of 300 posters were placed in community public squares during an awareness campaign conducted in January 2020. Additionally, the project’s three community relays, on board since Year 5, conducted informational activities with 269 households that have built SaniPlus toilets by inviting these households to practice proper handwashing. This campaign took place in 21 neighborhoods and villages in the communes of Yopougon, Abobo and Attécoubé. Additionally, 361 people were educated on proper sanitation and hygiene practices with the support of 48 community, religious and association leaders.
In Q3, a radio awareness campaign was broadcast with two satirical sketches. These sketches dealt with sanitation problems: lack of latrines, open defecation, latrine hygiene, drainage of wastewater from communal pits and use of mechanical emptying. They also encouraged listeners to call SaniPlus entrepreneurs to solve their sanitation problems. A total of 80 sketches were broadcast on local radio stations in the five localities over a two-month period.
Awareness activities Activity 4: Strengthen the government’s role in supporting the sanitation market
The project primarily worked with the Ministry of Sanitation through DAR, which is the ministerial department in charge of onsite sanitation issues. The project trained agents in this department on SaniPlus product standards and established a collaboration framework to edit the construction standards manual for onsite sanitation products. In collaboration with this ministerial department, the project trained agents with the technical services of town halls on quality assurance issues with products.
The project also conducted local initiatives with municipalities. The team worked to establish an environment conducive to key partners’ appropriation of project actions. A meeting that brought together these key partners (Ministry of Sanitation, UVICOCI, NADO and ARDCI) was held in November 2019 to establish a collaboration framework.
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1. Share the numbers of SSD-trained and certified micro-entrepreneurs with the Ministry of Sanitation As part of activities to sustain project achievements, advocacy with authorities has been initiated to engage public and private actors. The objective of this approach is to create synergy to work more closely with all stakeholders to improve access to sanitation products and services.
In Q2, SSD conducted advocacy with two major local government bodies, namely UVICOCI and ARDCI. On this occasion, the mayors and presidents of regional councils made a commitment to facilitate demand creation activities within their communities.
Also during this meeting, the list of 50 project-trained entrepreneurs who were still active was given to each Presenting the list of micro-entrepreneurs to the president regional president, with the objective of encouraging them of ARDCI and a representative to use these micro-entrepreneurs to meet the sanitation needs in their respective regions. A workshop was subsequently scheduled, but could not be held due to COVID-19 restrictions.
2. Local authorities’ commitment to sanitation for an enabling environment To increase the commitment of decentralized authorities to make a sustainable contribution to improving onsite sanitation for the benefit of local populations, a consultation mission with public authorities and civil society took place in the six new localities—Aboisso, Adzopé, Agboville, Tiassalé, Oumé and Toumodi—in Q2. This activity continued in Q4 in the nine other localities where the project is implemented.
During these missions, local authorities (town halls, regional councils and health districts) and civil society members (community, religious and association leaders) were Training community leaders in advocacy informed about local sanitation issues and engaged to conduct advocacy and sanitation improvement actions in their respective localities. To do so, these actors identified actions to be carried out, namely issuing police orders, raising awareness for behavior change, and signing an MoU to frame and translate parties’ commitments (communities and PSI) into action.
3. Strengthening the Regulatory Framework for Better Sanitation at the municipal level To further strengthen the municipal authority over companies affiliated with SSD at the local level, the project proposed an amendment to the police order in introducing a new clause. This clause mentions that SaniPlus companies that do not comply with construction standards for sanitation products would be subject to the same sanctions as households with bad sanitation practices and must pay fines.
Joint activities between the local SSD team, the municipal technical services and DAR technicians were identified as a framework for monitoring the implementation of the entire order, including this specific clause. In the 15 project localities, 10 have issued a police order to regulate onsite sanitation. The commune of Bouaké has already ratified the new text without implementing it. Advocacy has been conducted for all project municipalities to adopt the regulatory text that incorporates specific regulations concerning the local market for onsite sanitation, based on the technical manual’s standards, while finding mechanisms that will make it possible to finance quality control activities.
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4. Commitment of town halls and local sanitation departments in the implementation of joint quality control missions As part of the sustainability plan, SSD is further engaging municipalities to make a sustainable contribution to improving onsite sanitation for the benefit of local populations. Advocacy has been conducted with municipal authorities for joint actions between stakeholders at the local level. These activities include joint quality control visits for products produced by onsite sanitation companies. These field visits are an opportunity for SSD to train the municipal technical services on the construction standards for sanitation products as specified in the technical manual.
These monitoring missions will be an opportunity to supervise the implementation of the municipal by-law to encourage households with poor sanitation practices to correct them. It will also be an opportunity to look for ways to strengthen the municipal by-laws to open the control field to any on-site sanitation products built in the locality and to impose fines on entrepreneurs who have not respected standards, as well as on households with poor hygiene practices. These fines aim to provide the budget and motivation for town halls to take charge of controls and corrections with households and entrepreneurs to enable them not to break the decree’s provision.
The first preparatory meetings took place in June 2020 with the local project team (local SSD technician, SaniPlus Entrepreneur and CSP) and the municipal technical services in the 15 localities. The meetings were held in the other three localities at the beginning of July 2020. The joint visits began in July and continued in August and September 2020 in all 15 localities. Visits will continue to be conducted quarterly in Year 7 to gradually transfer quality control activities to the technical services of town halls. These visits aim to gain town halls’ interest in regulating activities in the onsite sanitation market in their localities.
COMPONENT 2: INCREASE SAFE CONTAINMENT, TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL OF FECAL WASTE
Activity 1: Work with the call center operator and vacuum truck operators (VTOs) to develop a sustainable call center model
The collection, management and disposal of sewage is an important part of the project. In early October 2019, the project ended its collaboration with the former operator of the call center, Lunatys, due to that partner’s difficulties in following the business model. The service operated in October before it was stopped at the end of that month. A selection process for a new operator began in November 2019. The SSD project, with the support of PSI's procurement department, selected a new operator, the Kamtar company. The project developed and submitted, to PSI's procurement department, a set of specifications with the conditions of service, indicators and targets related to the indicators. Similarly, the operator support budget was created and submitted to various decision-makers for validation. This validation circuit, which began at the end of January and stopped at the end of March 2020, unfortunately coincided with the health crisis in Côte d'Ivoire and the cessation of field activities.
Kamtar specializes in logistics, fleet management, and connecting users and transporters through an Uber-style platform. This company has proven experience in recruiting and managing transport providers, which is a skill that the former operator had difficulty implementing.
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1. Training Kamtar provider staff In early April 2020, the M&E team and the project technical team trained the supervisors recruited by Kamtar to manage VTOs. The supervisors were trained in issues related to onsite sanitation and the SSD project's responses to these issues, especially SaniPlus sanitation products produced by micro- entrepreneurs and the management of fecal sludge through VTOs. The M&E team also explained the related call center monitoring indicators to the call center staff.
In June, the project worked with the operator of the sales and marketing organization for service sustainability. The partner strengthened its organization by recruiting a Vidange Plus product manager for marketing management, a logistics coordinator for the operational management of the service and the coordination of VTOs, and nine sales representatives. The project has again trained staff on collecting and handling data and recording them in the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2). The first tests took place on the service line and prospecting activities started.
The project also supported the operator in implementing service tariffs, the business model and the communication plan. A business plan with a profitability analysis will be drafted in the first quarter of Year 7 to manage this activity’s financial sustainability.
2. Equip the call center Three smartphones were set up and given to the Kamtar team following their training in data collection. A computer was also given to the partner for data management. 3. Train VTOs The project's technical team trained 16 VTOs. The training, preceded by a pre-test and followed by a post-test, enabled participants to reinforce their skills in safe drainage, particularly in the following areas: • Preparation: Wearing PPE, receiving the necessary vaccines to properly conduct activities and maintaining the health of their family members • Emptying, with a focus on good behavior in host households and conditions for safe sludge collection • Onsite transfer and deposit
All participants’ scores increased from the pre-test to the post-test. Discussions were also held on safe transport and unpacking conditions in dedicated centers.
4. Promotional activities for emptying services The Kamtar partner designed and submitted a promotion and communication plan to the project. This plan includes field activities in Abidjan and the peripheral areas, with nine sales representatives who will go door-to- door five days a week to distribute flyers promoting the call center.
Household canvassing began in the last week of June 2020 for 11 of the services sold, with a conversion rate of 26%. Over the period, 736,000 liters of sludge were collected. Media promotional activities were planned but could not be conducted in time. A six-month digital campaign will take place from October to March in Year 7. A three-month radio campaign will also take place from February to April 2021 to increase awareness of the service.
On September 24, 2020, Kamtar organized a press conference for the official launch of the Vidange Plus service, and 13 national press organizations were present, as well as the national TV channel. A report was filmed on this event and aired for two weeks on the private TV channel, Business 24.
5. Regular meetings with local authorities about VTO activities with SSD 21
SSD has established contact between the partner and ONAD’s Autonomous Sanitation Directorate, which is the authority in charge of emptying. Another meeting was held between the partner and DAR at the Ministry of Sanitation to establish a collaboration framework between the call center and the ministry, which was interested in setting up a relation center with the ministry and sanitation service users (garbage collection and cleaning products). It was decided that the partner would participate in the workshops planned with UVICOVI and ARDCI so the partner could present the emptying service activities. However, these workshops did not take place. Figure 2: Call center achievements
Calls received 39
Services sold 11
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
COMPONENT 3: DISSEMINATE LEARNING ON MARKET-BASED APPROACHES
The regional sharing of knowledge and lessons learned on how to increase access to improved sanitation for populations is a key project goal. As such, the project identified and planned a series of related activities, including workshops, articles, learning materials, blogs and success stories.
Specifically, the SSD project aimed to produce documentation of the following activities: • Support public authorities in implementing policies and initiatives and creating an environment favorable to improving access to better sanitation for the population through a market approach. • Support local authorities in taking measures for better organization and regulation of onsite sanitation issues in their localities. • Inform and guide beneficiaries and other institutional actors on best practices for developing a market approach to address onsite sanitation issues. • Raise awareness with the population on targets to adopt better sanitation practices.
COVID-19 impacted activities, which prevented some workshops from taking place. Additionally, the Communication and Public Relations Manager, who joined SSD after being recruited by MuniWASH, resigned in March.
1. Communication and advertising
1.1. IEC materials to support marketing To encourage information and education for behavior change, the SSD project provided 800 T-shirts to the Ministry of Sanitation in November 2019. These T-shirts were developed for World Toilet Day 2019 with the theme "Leaving no one behind.” They intended to encourage Ministry of Sanitation community awareness campaigns to end open defecation.
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1.2. Producing non-media promotional materials During Q1, 500 flyers presenting the double-pit latrines were given to sales agents for promotional activities. Approximately 300 flyers presenting the latrines in seated and squat positions were distributed to micro-entrepreneurs. The following materials were also produced: • 15,000 flyers on sanitation products that were produced to facilitate sales force activities in the field. • 5,000 60x80cm advertising posters were produced and distributed to entrepreneurs. • 20,000 flyers to promote the Vidange Plus service, 500 60x80cm posters to display in public places, 15,000 stickers with the phone number of the service to be placed in households, 150 polo shirts for Kamtar salesmen, and 1,000 T-shirts for sales force promotional activities in the field were provided to the call center. • 800 T-shirts were produced for the Ministry of Sanitation for World Toilet Day 2019. COVID-19 prevention communication material • 2,000 self-adhesive posters (60x80) and 10,000 flyers (A5 flyers) to raise awareness on prevention measures were produced to support the Ministry of Sanitation in its COVID-19 response.
1.3. Radio campaign The following activities were conducted through a radio campaign: • 124 commercials in local languages were broadcast in October 2019 on local radio stations in two municipalities Yamoussoukro and Duékoué to support promotional activities in the field. • 240 spots and 16 sketches were broadcast on six community radio stations in the new localities. • In Q2, 1,200 commercials were broadcast for three months on radio stations in nine localities where the project was active. • 18,474 radio spots were broadcast to raise awareness on handwashing, good sanitation practices and COVID-19 prevention measures.
2. Documentation and sharing Documents recounting lessons learned were published on various forums. Most activities took place in Q1, as the resignation of the Communication and Learning Manager and occurrence of COVID-19 slowed activities in later quarters. In Q1, three methods used to select micro-entrepreneurs under the SaniPlus business model to sell sanitation products in Côte d’Ivoire were published on the Water Solidarity Programme (pS-Eau) forum. pS- Eau is a French multi-stakeholder network committed to ensuring access to water and sanitation for everyone and the sustainable management of water resources (Sustainable Development Goal 6) in developing countries. Below are links to the publications on the forum: • https://www.pseau.org/outils/biblio/resume.php?d=8506&l=fr • https://www.pseau.org/outils/biblio/resume.php?d=8504&l=fr • https://www.pseau.org/outils/biblio/resume.php?d=8505&l=fr • https://www.pseau.org/outils/biblio/resume.php?d=8507&l=fr
The same document was published on the USAID documentation platform at the following link: https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/search/FusionSearchResults.aspx?q=SSD
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Also during Q1, AfWA’s magazine, "Share Water," published an article about a quality and integrity test on toilets, septic tanks and infiltration wells built by entrepreneurs affiliated with the project for more than two years under the SaniPlus brand.
The AfWA magazine produces 500 copies, which are distributed at scientific and technical board meetings that bring together more than 200 professionals from the water and sanitation sector in Africa every quarter.
During Q1, a success story about a young SaniPlus entrepreneur and an article written about the exhibition of SaniPlus products during the World Toilet Day 2019 celebration were published on social networks, in the USAID newsletter and on the SuSanA platform.
At the end of Q2, the SuSanA platform had 33 publications with project news. These publications were viewed 12,900 times and received 29 comments.
The project publications can be accessed at the following links:
SuSanA platform: https://forum.susana.org/161-sanitation-as-a-business-and-business-models/12638-sanitation-service- delivery-program-in-ghana-ivory-coast-and-benin-updates#27779
Eight publications on the project Facebook page, which has 1,200 followers: https://web.facebook.com/USAIDssd
Eight publications on the project Twitter accounts: https://twitter.com/POOPgroupSSD https://twitter.com/wca_sanitation
3. Sharing experiences
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3.1. Knowledge-sharing sessions with DAR, UVICOCI, ARDCI and AfWA A sharing workshop was organized during Q1 with DAR. This workshop aimed to share the SSD project's experience in improving sanitation using market-based approaches. At this meeting, which was also attended by representatives from AfWA, UVICOCI and ARDCI, SSD presented its market-based approach to create a sustainable sanitation market with the involvement of private stakeholders. SSD also sought the commitment of decentralized authorities, such as UVICOCI and ARDCI, to sustain the project's achievements by using the manpower of entrepreneurs trained within the framework of project activities. Workshop presenters
3.2. Sharing experiences at the AfWA Congress In February 2020, the SSD project took part in the 20th AfWA International Congress & Exhibition in Kampala. During this event, documents recounting lessons learned in selecting micro-entrepreneurs to adopt the SaniPlus business model to sell sanitation products in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as one on the mechanism implemented in Benin to guarantee the quality of WC MIMIN toilets, were shared. SSD also distributed learning materials at a stand attended by two project staff who took part in the AfWA event.
3.3. Sharing experiences at the AfWA workshop To share experience gained from implementing SSD project activities, the project team took part in the annual review workshop, which reviewed activities conducted by AfWA, the Pan-African Organization for Capacity Building of Water and Sanitation Professionals in Africa, in 2019 and identified prospects for the current year. The meeting started with a welcome address from the Executive Director of the African Water Association, followed by a word from a USAID representative. AfWA benefits from USAID funding to implement a program to improve water quality through learning between mentors and mentees.
SSD presented the project’s status, results achieved and the objectives to be achieved by September 2020, the then closing date for the project.
3.4. Sharing experiences at the MuniWASH workshop SSD also participated in a workshop organized by the USAID-funded MuniWASH project. The MuniWASH project solicited SSD project’s expertise to participate in the process to select cities to benefit from the project. To ensure sustainability for achievements made, SSD project cities’ involvement will be given priority in the MuniWASH project’s selection process. In July 2020, SSD and MuniWASH established an exchange framework consisting of bi-weekly meetings between the two project teams.
4. Learning and advocacy
4.1. Participation in establishing the National Association of Toilets for All In October 2019, the SSD project participated in the constitutive general assembly of the National Association of Toilets for All. This organization was created under ONAD’s supervision. Like the World Toilet Organization, the National Toilet Association of Côte d'Ivoire is an organization with a mission to facilitate access to toilets for the population. SSD, which is a key player in the sanitation field, has been co-opted to be a member of this organization as an expert in improving access to sanitation through market-based approaches. Apart from this general assembly, ONAD could not organize other activities.
4.2. Participation in World Toilet Day 2019 In November 2019, SSD participated in the official celebration of the 19th World Toilet Day in the village of Bodo, in the commune of N'Douci. The theme was “Leaving no one behind.” The Ministry of Sanitation organized the celebration. During this celebration, the Ministry of Sanitation invited the SSD project team to present the micro- entrepreneurs trained by the project and the sanitation products they produce, namely improved latrines with 25
Sato pan seats that use very little water for flushing. This latrine is adapted for peri-urban areas where access to water is a challenge.
Additionally, the Ministry of Sanitation launched awareness messaging inviting households to stop open defecation by instead building toilets. A workshop with UVICOCI and ARDCI and a workshop with journalists to present project achievements and a learning event were also planned but could not be held for the reasons mentioned above.
5. Site visit with technical partners
5.1. USAID site visit In October, USAID conducted a field visit to the commune of Agboville. This visit was an opportunity to meet a young female sanitation entrepreneur who expanded SSD project activities in Agboville. In households and an elementary school, she installed modifications to the existing latrines (dry latrines) by adding a sitting option with SaTo pan to prevent odors and insects. The latrines were equipped with a handwashing device for good hygiene and to reduce the risk of hand contamination with feces.
During this field visit, the donor (USAID) spoke with the city municipality. During this interview, the SSD project manager informed the municipality on making the most of the project's capacities.
Activities during the USAID site visit
5.2. Field visit with a U.S. Embassy representative and USAID delegation In January, Ms. Katherine Brucker, the Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, conducted a field visit to discover SSD project sanitation facilities. The U.S. diplomat was accompanied by a large delegation from the USAID Côte d'Ivoire Office, led by the USAID Director and Environment Officer, for the Regional Economic Growth Office of USAID REGO-Accra. The visit took place in the commune of Yopougon where the SSD project began its activities in 2016. This field visit started at ONAD’s disposal center where wastewater (fecal sludge) collected directly from household septic tanks is discharged into a collector-receiver. The delegation, led by the Project Manager, visited the districts of Micao, Gesco Ayakro and Lokoua to view project achievements in households. These underprivileged neighborhoods are all located in the commune of Yopougon, where Ms. Brucker spoke with two SSD sanitation entrepreneurs.
U.S. Embassy visit activities
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CROSSCUTTING: MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING
1. Quality control of the quarterly report sales data sent and verified for installations’ effectiveness During the year, the M&E team conducted quarterly missions to monitor the data generated by project activities. During these quality control activities, the M&E department evaluated the system and the quality of data using a tool designed for this purpose. Of all the project areas, 10 out of 15 were selected and evaluated, according to the amount of data available and whether the COVID-19 situation had disrupted field activities. The table below shows the scores obtained from this monitoring:
Table 2: Monitoring scores Data verification Program Region/province Site name score SSD TONKPI MAN 99% SSD GÔH GAGNOA 99% SSD CAVALY-GUEMON DUEKOUE 90% SSD AGNEBY TIASSE-ME Adzopé 98% SSD AGNEBY TIASSE-ME Agboville 99% SSD MARAHOUE Bouaflé 100% SSD GBEKE Bouaké 100% SSD LOH DJIBOUA Divo 100% SSD BELIER Toumodi 100% SSD BELIER Yamoussoukro 99%
These controls have helped reduce the rate of data fraud, particularly from individuals working in the field.
2. Create a manual on the physical and electronic data archiving system The project's data archiving system was designed and made functional. The M&E team also published a data archiving management manual in April 2020.
3. Opening a centralized information and complaints hotline A hotline for managing claims from project beneficiaries was established. This hotline captures and registers requests for information and/or queries, SaniPlus service requests, and customer complaints about SaniPlus services. The hotline also transmits and follows up on complaints reported by households concerning problems related to the quality of the products designed by entrepreneurs.
4. Quality control of concrete rings and sanitation facilities
Table 3: Product quality scores for Year 6 Q01 Q02 Q03 Q04 Quality scores for products built 93% 68% 76% 95%
The technical team conducted quarterly quality control missions for products. For better quality control of the concrete rings, the team acquired two sclerometers to test product amounts and verify if technical standards were met.
5. Submitting the Health Services Report (HSR) As is customary, the HSR is submitted monthly by the M&E department, with a total of 12 HSR reports submitted in Year 6.
6. SSD data program validation before dissemination and for internal use To ensure the quality of program data, the following control measures were implemented: 27
1. The implementation of program rules in DHIS2 forms to limit transcription errors. 2. Daily data control by the M&E team to monitor the evolution and quality of the data entered. 3. Data validation through calls with the field teams to ensure conformity between transmitted data and available data.
Once these steps have been completed, the data are transmitted to the Director of Strategic Information who conducts the final validation by verifying the data in the system before internal communication.
7. Evaluating client satisfaction To ensure the quality of completed field work and especially to understand how SSD products are perceived by consumers, a quarterly evaluation of customer satisfaction is conducted. This allows the project to ensure the product is adopted by the beneficiary (customer):
Table 4: Customer satisfaction scores for Year 6 Period Q01 Q02 Q03 Q04 Customer satisfaction score 85% 83% 92% 94%
The average customer satisfaction score was 89%.
8. Evaluating micro-entrepreneurs' perception of the improvement of employment conditions The improvement of micro-entrepreneurs’ employment conditions is a key project indicator. The department focused on the 16 new entrepreneurs recruited since January 2020. All 16 were active three months later and had installed at least one SaniPlus product. The entrepreneurs were interviewed by telephone to complete the following evaluation:
Based on a telephone evaluation of micro-entrepreneurs' employment conditions, average revenue improved from $729 USD per month to $1,239 per month and all 16 new entrepreneurs felt that their skills improved to good or very good as a result of the project intervention."
Lessons learned
• It is imperative to have a mechanism for cross-checking the data produced in the field by the field actors to ensure data integrity. • Market penetration is more easily facilitated by the extensive involvement of community relays in peri- urban areas. Their strong involvement guarantees a better chance of achieving sales. • The clear perception of the project's benefits for stakeholders (municipalities and technical services of town halls) ensures better approval of the project on their part. • Establishing a climate of healthy competition between micro-entrepreneurs by sharing information on their performance is a key tool for motivating these private actors to be competitive. • Coaching centered on entrepreneurs’ expectations allows them to stay in touch and facilitates communication and education for better business performance. Many micro-entrepreneurs are struggling to transform their approach to business and change their paradigm. • It is necessary to identify and select motivated micro-entrepreneurs to ensure project sustainability. • Greater involvement of community leaders is key to successful market penetration (target population). • The need to clean up the living environment is a major concern for the majority of people the project met, because wastewater is a source of shame for landlords and dissatisfaction for tenants. • A diagnostic survey made it possible to evaluate the situation of entrepreneurs and identify specific capacity gaps to address. • It is necessary to design monitoring and performance indicators to properly coach entrepreneurs. 28
• Coaching entrepreneurs following precise indicators allows them to improve their organization and performance. • The majority of entrepreneurs positively perceive the impact of the project on improving their technical skills and increasing their income. • It is necessary to identify and select motivated micro-entrepreneurs, and do without others, to ensure project sustainability. An initiative with 23 micro-entrepreneurs during Year 6 is an example. • Advocacy for the implementation of joint activities with authorities can be a source of opportunity for the project, as evidenced by the 18,000 spots broadcast and the ministry’s invitation to participate in delivering toilets. • Improving the autonomy of micro-entrepreneurs must be a priority to enable the project's activities to continue during a pandemic. • The occurrence of a pandemic necessitates the readjustment of the project's intervention scheme to meet the current challenges.
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SSD – BENIN
COMPONENT 1: INCREASE ACCESS TO IMPROVED SANITATION
Activity 1: Develop the supply chain
1. Establish the supply chain in extension areas and train micro-entrepreneurs and masons To expand SSD project activities in the communes of Parakou and Djougou, which are new project extension areas, masons and micro-entrepreneurs were identified. Training and establishing these new actors has helped establish a supply chain in these communes in northern Benin. The identified micro-entrepreneurs were trained on the prefabrication of components used in building MIMIN toilets (slab, concrete rings and seats). The masons received practical training on installing toilets and seats equipped with SaTo pan.
Before different practical trainings, the actors received theoretical classroom training where the SSD project presented its field activities and results obtained so far, the Theoretical training of masons and micro-entrepreneurs in different range of WC MIMIN-brand latrines and their Parakou elements, and the environmental standards to be respected before building toilets. Participants also watched short videos on project micro-entrepreneurs’ success stories. This session included pre- and post-tests to evaluate participants’ knowledge. At the end, 71.43% of trained participants improved their capacities by receiving a higher post-test score than pre-test score.
It is worth noting that Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Managers in the communes of Parakou and Djougou participated and were significantly involved in the training sessions. These managers said they were available to support supply chain actors to obtain better results. A total On-site practical training on the prefabrication of WC of eight micro-entrepreneurs and 10 masons were MIMIN components identified and trained in these two extension areas.
2. Operationalization of micro-entrepreneurs in Parakou and Djougou Following their training, micro-entrepreneurs in Parakou and Djougou were given molds and the SaTo pan to enable them to effectively begin field activities. Eight micro- entrepreneurs each received 50 SaTo pans, prefabricated molds and flyers to enable them to start production and marketing activities for WC MIMIN products.
A micro-entrepreneur from Parakou receiving his seat prefabrication mold
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Following receiving materials, micro-entrepreneurs were coached and assisted in producing their first prefabricated components. Prototype tiled seats were produced for each site by teams of tilers the micro- entrepreneurs mobilized to serve as production guides. They instructed on the careful and methodical application of the tiles on the seats. Once the seats were produced and fully tiled and fitted with SaTo pan, they were displayed for sale. With the provision of SaTo pan, seat sales immediately started in the communes of Djougou and Parakou. To better supervise the micro-entrepreneurs and masons trained in these areas, an engineer was recruited to monitor their activities and periodic retraining.
Signature an MoU with new micro-entrepreneurs During Year 6, the team signed on 12 micro-entrepreneurs in the new communes where the project was extended: Parakou and Djougou.
Evaluation and equipment provision with supply chain actors
In January 2020, SSD Benin conducted an evaluation of supply chain actors (masons and micro-entrepreneurs) in all project intervention communes. This activity allowed for the following:
• Detect performance gaps between supply chain actors. • Evaluate each actor’s degree of involvement in the SSD project. • Evaluate each actor’s level of finishing in relation to prefabricated components. A technician from the SSD team evaluating a micro- entrepreneur in Bohicon (a city located in central Benin). • Assess the availability of prefabricated products and components at micro-entrepreneurs’ sites. • Assess each micro-entrepreneurs’ monthly sales. • List the most active actors. • Know the best actors in the supply chain.
At the end of the evaluation and according to the scores obtained by each actor, they were ranked from the most deserving to the least deserving and the three best actors in each category (masons and micro- entrepreneurs) in each department were awarded prizes during various workshops gathering all the actors involved in project implementation.
Refresher and experience-sharing sessions were organized for the benefit of actors who had lower scores at the end of this evaluation. The experience-sharing sessions are when the best actors share their expertise with those who have less experience.
This evaluation also made it possible to update the database of actors as some could no longer meet demand. The actors still active on the project were identified and those who voluntarily withdrew were removed from the list of providers.
A total of 43 micro-entrepreneurs were evaluated, 34 of whom are still active. At the end of this evaluation, we found that 90% of our micro-entrepreneurs pre-fabricate quality components and 87% have well-equipped prefabrication sites.
3. Equipping micro-entrepreneurs
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During Year 6, 12 micro-entrepreneurs were provided with materials (cement, sand and iron), including new entrepreneurs in Parakou and Djougou.
4. Emptying MIMIN pits To have a network of service providers who empty MIMIN pits in Ouémé-Plateau and the Atlantic, in November 2019 SSD Benin initiated a training of 17 pit-emptiers in these departments. During this training, the SSD project was presented to the invited participants and the different products and services promoted by SSD Benin were also presented. After these presentations, the pit-emptiers were trained on techniques for hygienic and safe emptying of MIMIN pits, while highlighting the various diseases to which they will be exposed during this work if they do not respect the steps and procedures in place. It should be noted that Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Managers from the communes also attended these trainings. The pit-emptiers Participants at the pit-emptiers training in Ouémé training should also be conducted in the communes of Parakou Plateau and Djougou, which are the new extension areas proposed in the workplan. However, given the travel restrictions imposed by the government to fight COVID-19, this activity could not be conducted.
5. Refresher for micro-entrepreneurs and masons on quality standards For refresher training on quality standards for micro-entrepreneurs and masons, the project organized experience-sharing sessions to improve the skills gaps noted during field assessments. To this end, six experience-sharing sessions were organized with two per zone: Mono-Couffo, Ouémé-plateau and Atlantique- zou. During these sessions, the most successful actors shared their knowledge in terms of production, component transport and toilet construction.
6. Testing pit functionality To test pit functionality, the team opened the pits of all latrines built and in use for at least two years in the Abomey Calavi commune. This action assessed the fullness of the pits. During Q3, this exercise enabled the team to rotate and stop using 10 filled pits. Mineralization test procedures were then initiated. However, the rainy season and the advent of COVID-19 did not allow this process to be completed.
Activity 2: Sanitation Model Overview of the WC MIMIN business model To create and sustain an enabling sanitation market, the business model relies on the commercialization of WC MIMIN through private-sector, small-scale entrepreneurs and trained masons. The SSD team successfully engaged concrete ring manufacturers (CRMs) by sharing the potential gains associated with the proposed business model, which involves CRMs selling all prefabricated WC MIMIN materials and building toilets. Entrepreneurs benefit from demand created through project-supported sales agents, community leaders and marketing activities. In addition, PEBCo stimulates demand through offering loans to consumers, thereby incentivizing entrepreneurs to invest in their growing businesses.
1. Summary of progress to date SSD Benin made the following progress in Year 6: • 944 toilets built and 14,961 seats, or 15,905 toilet products sold. • 21,575 people have access to basic sanitation. • 5,423 people have access to limited sanitation. • 243,443 people have access to improved sanitation. • 2,438 people have access to safely managed sanitation.
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2. Target achievements The main targets and the percentage of achievements can be summarized as follows: • For 12,508 products sold, the percentage of achievement was 127%. • For 12,996 people who have access to basic sanitation, the percentage of achievement was 166%. • For 2,374 people who have access to limited sanitation, the percentage of achievement was 228%. • For 277,778 people who have access to improved sanitation, the percentage of achievement was 68%. • For 3,561 people who have access to safely managed sanitation, the percentage of achievement was 88%.
Activity 3: Quality control of installed latrines
1. Supervision and quality control of latrines and components To assure the quality of latrines built for households, project technicians organized routine supervision on a weekly basis throughout Year 6. To this end, 944 toilets were checked in all intervention communes. Overall, 97% of the inspected toilets met quality standards. For the toilets that did not meet the construction standards, they were corrected, if necessary, or destroyed. In addition, quality control of latrine accessories, i.e. concrete rings, slabs and toilet seats, in stock was conducted at the micro- entrepreneur level. This was necessary to verify the resistance of concrete rings made concerning the recommended quality standards.
Marking defective prefabricated components 2. Recruiting a fourth SSD technician To better supervise the micro-entrepreneurs and masons trained in the new communes of northern Benin (Parakou and Djougou), a technician was recruited to monitor their activities and periodically refresh their skills. This recruitment was completed during Q3 of Year 6.
3. Project debrief workshop with municipal and governmental actors In March 2020, SSD Benin organized a debriefing workshop with communal and governmental actors on the SSD project.
Government site visit to a micro-entrepreneur
This workshop enabled the SSD project team to achieve the following results: • Communal and governmental actors committed to becoming more involved in SSD project activities through their presence in the field (quality control of components and validation of toilets).
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• Supply chain actors now have more contact with communal and governmental actors. This will enable these actors to monitor micro-entrepreneurs in their prefabrication of components and during construction at the end of SSD. • Communal and governmental actors visited various facilities (toilets and seats) in the Allada commune.
Communal and governmental actors also made the following recommendations during the workshop: • Make the database of toilets built and seats installed available to communes. • Make the database of micro-entrepreneurs and masons available to communes. • Establish an exchange forum on WhatsApp between communal and governmental actors and the SSD project team. • Utilize the sanitation police that is being established in communes by the OmiDelta program during field activities. • Revitalize the water, hygiene and sanitation consultation frameworks in communes. • Organize monthly work sessions between the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Managers and SSD project zone technicians.
Activity 4: Designing and testing a lighter seat
1. Testing the "Zumwalt" ceramic seat To bring odorless, insect-free and lighter toilet seats to the market, SSD Benin tested a ceramic seat without a siphon (Zumwalt). These tests were conducted in the communes of Porto-Novo and Abomey-Calavi with two volunteer households willing to cover the installation costs. Four key steps were followed to install the seats: • Install SaTo pan over the toilet hole of the existing latrine. • Lay the ceramic seat. • Seal the base of the ceramic seat with a sand and cement mixture. • Complete the work.
The tests conducted show the prototype is well adapted to household use and can be easily used by all household members, including women, children and the elderly. However, households’ desired price of about 10,000 FCFA to acquire these seats is well below the export purchase price of the prototype. The photos below show the steps to install the prototype:
Installing the Zumwalt prototype in a household in the commune of Abomey-Calavi
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2. Honeycomb seat To facilitate the handling and transport of the 40-cm-high MIMIN seats, SSD Benin tried a new model: the lightweight honeycomb seat. The idea was to modify the existing seats to obtain ridges or cells inside the seats to reduce the amount of mortar used, which will result in a lighter seat. Two out of three design experiments were conclusive. These new models of lighter-weight honeycomb seats already exist on the market and households that want them purchase and install them.
Honeycomb seat
3. Seat with a rounded edge Some users have complained that the project’s current seat model has sharp, cutting edges, which are not 100% comfortable. Taking these observations into account, the project worked on rounding the edges of the current seat. A prototype was designed and tested with five households in the commune of Ouidah, and 100% of these households were satisfied with this new model. As a result, 22 molds of this model were designed and given to project micro-entrepreneurs to enable the production and availability of this new seat model.
Activity 5: Demand creation Figure 3: Sales evolution in Year 6
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233 320
Pits latrines 4 677 104 4 069 3 784 Seats
2 431
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Sanitation product sales evolved during the year but experienced a slight decrease during Q3, due to the first cases of COVID-19 appearing, which led to a temporary cessation of CSPs’ promotional activities in May 2020. However, sales increased during Q4, thanks to both intense activity and the effective start of sales in the project's extension areas: Djougou, Parakou and Aplahoué.
Project achievements against the targets are illustrated in the figure below.
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Figure 4: Achievements against set targets
15 905
12 508
Achievement Targets
During the year, the project surpassed these targets with a 127% achievement rate.
1. Strengthening demand creation to sell and promote sanitation products
1.1. Recruiting the sales force in Parakou, Djougou and Aplahoué To expand its activities in the communes of Parakou, Djougou and Aplahoué, the SSD project recruited and deployed 19 CSPs and three supervisors (10 CSPs and two supervisors in Parakou, five CSPs and one supervisor in Djougou, and four CSPs in Aplahoué) in July 2020 to promote sanitation products. This brought the sales force total to 99 CSPs and 17 supervisors. Following the saturation of the commune of Abomey-Calavi, the various teams working there were redeployed to new localities. Thus, Capacity building session: CSP in a a supervisor was redeployed to the commune of Aplahoué to supervise sales meeting conversation the sales team there.
1.2. Conducting community activities and home visits With a sales force of 80 CSPs and 14 supervisors, 19 CSPs and three supervisors were added to the force. Following May 2020 evaluations to renew sales force contracts that expired in April 2020, 28 CSPs from different teams were dismissed for poor performance. The entire sales force team also regularly conducted prospecting and awareness activities for behavior change. The year ended with a total of 71 CSPs and 17 supervisors. Sales team during a community activity in Agbomassè with the village chief
Activity 6: Supervising the sales force
1. Supervising and coaching CSPs This year, coaching supervision of CSPs by their respective supervisors was conducted to maintain agents who were already performing well and to increase the capacity of lower-performing agents. The activity optimized the sales teams’ performance by rebounding results. On average, a CSP was supervised two times a month.
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In total, 1,228 supervisions were conducting during Year 6, during which points for improvement were highlighted to the different CSPs, such as connection, cost calculation, solution presentation and solution value, which supervisors solved through sales meetings and personal conferences.
During sales meetings, supervisors organized simulation reinforcement sessions, based on observations made, to raise the level of competence in concerned agents and the entire team. During these supervisions, the project team ensured proper field implementation of all recommendations made to the CSP supervisor.
2. Supervision of supervisors The project team conducted coaching supervision for the 17 supervisors during Year 6. During these supervisions, various points were addressed, including maximizing efforts by increasing the frequency of mass information activities, identifying and collaborating with community relays to ensure sustainability, re-surveying areas already prospected, and involving micro-entrepreneurs in all general public activities.
This was also an opportunity to assist the CSP supervisor in removing bottlenecks. During this supervision, the SSD team held discussions with local elected officials in project localities, including Honvié Centre where Adjarra's sales team is The village chief of Honvié Centre after an exchange session encountering difficulties in demand creation activities. This session provided an opportunity to bring the crucial problem of open defecation in the locality to the attention of the local authority, who has an important role in addressing this problem.
3. Meeting with chief and coordinating doctors in health zones to involve community relays in demand creation To empower entrepreneurs in demand creation activities, the SSD team held meetings with partners in health zones in project intervention areas. These different exchange sessions involved both health zone actors (Adjarra- Apro-Missérété-Avrankou, Allada-Toffo-Zè, Abomey-Sô-Ava, Ouidah-Kpomassè Tori-Bossito, Comè-Houéyogbé- Bopa-Grand-Popo, Parakou-N'Dali and Djougou-Copargo-Ouaké) and micro-entrepreneurs from these localities. Specifically, these sessions brought together hygiene technicians, individuals in charge of information and social mobilization, and coordinating doctors to inform them about the potential to collaborate with community relays to implement demand creation activities for sustainability, the motivation system based on commission that micro-entrepreneurs pay directly to the relays, and the ability to define next steps. During the sessions, partners expressed their interest in successful collaboration with community relays.
These meetings made it possible to start involving community relays in demand creation activities in some communes. In Allada in the Atlantic department, two relays collaborating with the DEDRAS non-governmental organization began working with a micro-entrepreneur who produced the following products: one pit latrine, one seat and three handwashing devices. In Houéyogbé in the department of Mono, five community relays connected with a micro-entrepreneur and sold seven seats. As for other intervention localities, SSD is in the process of identifying and connecting relays with micro-entrepreneurs. The project’s management team has worked to rigorously monitor the implementation of this activity.
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Discussion sessions with the medical coordinators in the Akpro-Missérété-Adjarra-Avrankou and Ouidah-Kpomassè-Tori-Bossito health zones
Activity 7: Communication and promotional materials
To promote sanitation products and services, the team produced several communication materials, including flyers, A2 posters and tarps. These materials are available to both the sales force and micro-entrepreneurs.
1. Participation at a science fair The project participated in a fair organized by USAID in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH). The fair brought together the public and several stakeholders in the basic hygiene and sanitation sub-sector. The SSD team’s objective was to make the project known through its different products and services (MIMIN toilets, double-ventilated latrines, seats and the emptying service). At the end of this event, many people made the commitment to have latrines built and to discuss them with others.
2. Video production In collaboration with the communication coordination team, SSD improved upon the existing film that illustrates the entire supply and demand approach with testimonials from different beneficiaries, which is an advocacy tool for government and municipal actors. A new video was also produced. This video focuses on a micro- entrepreneur’s commitment and his journey with the project. Through this video, the team intends to provide an opportunity for each of the other micro-entrepreneurs to assess themselves to make the best decisions.
3. Presentation on communicating about COVID-19 The purpose of the presentation was to improve the knowledge of the sales force and micro-entrepreneurs on World Health Organization- recommended prevention measures to communicate them to Benin’s government. Specifically, attendees learned the correct information to provide to households. The project’s Communication and Lessons Learned Officer presented this information in a meeting that brought together project stakeholders, namely departmental coordinators of the Communication about COVID-19 with meeting attendees hygiene and sanitation component; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Managers; hygiene technicians attached to health zones; micro- entrepreneurs; supervisors; sales agents; and project staff. The meeting was held in June 2020 in Allada and Lokossa. The presentation focused on two key aspects: 1) prevention and 2) opportunities the COVID-19 pandemic offers to micro-entrepreneurs.
An emphasis was also placed on prevention measures. The different types of masks available and their usefulness were discussed, as well as precautions to be observed to effectively use a mask to prevent COVID-19. Concerning the potential of wearing a scarf and loincloth instead, participants were informed this has not proven to be effective and reliable in protecting against COVID-19. In addition, it is likely that the mesh of loincloths and headscarves are porous enough to allow viruses, such as COVID-19, to pass through.
As for opportunities for entrepreneurs in the time of COVID-19, they include marketing handwashing devices and contact surface disinfectants. To this end, the team plans to organize a capacity building session for micro- entrepreneurs and establish a partnership with the University of Benin to produce surface disinfectant gels. 38
4. Briefing/refresher workshop for journalists and focal points from radio partners This workshop aimed to strengthen the capacities of facilitators and focal points with radio partners on project activities to encourage them to increase interest among owners to equip their houses with latrines and/or empty their full pits, as well as to discuss lessons learned from the last partnership. A presentation was given on the project's flagship activities, which covered product and supply chain development, demand creation activities, and the partnership with the PEBCo microfinance institution that provided loans to households. Following this presentation, some participants raised concerns that were immediately dispelled through satisfactory responses. These concerns are included below: • Conditions for obtaining the sanitation loan • Where to obtain building materials for WC MIMIN • Value propositions for the WC MIMIN brand
An emphasis was placed on the need for journalists/animators to initiate more activities that can strengthen households’ willingness to adopt WC MIMIN products. To do so, it was decided that facilitators should focus on the following actions: • Periodically organize a talk show on good sanitation practices, particularly adopting improved toilets. • Collect and broadcast WC MIMIN beneficiary testimonials during radio programs. • Work with these beneficiaries to directly intervene during radio programs.
Additionally, to facilitate the appropriation/reappropriation of ideas shared, a site visit was organized for two micro-entrepreneurs in the city of Bohicon. At the end of this visit, the journalists and focal points left to familiarize themselves with onsite sanitation issues, particularly those developed by the SSD project.
Left: Workshop participants; Right: Interview with a micro-entrepreneur 5. Producing radio programs Several themes developed during the programs with the six radio partners. To this end, 6,312 radio spots, 3,117 press releases and 40 radio programs were broadcast. Priority was given to households, and these programs focused on the following themes: "the benefits of adopting ‘WC MIMIN’ brand sanitation products;” “supply of sanitation products by micro entrepreneurs: motivations, initiatives and perspectives;” "engaging local elected officials in promoting ‘WC MIMIN’ brand products;" "the role, responsibility and means of action of the Coastal Protection and Pollution Control Brigade (BPLP) in terms of compliance with sanitation legislation in Benin: cases of unannounced controls;” and “the legislative and regulatory framework for sanitation in Benin" for the MIMIN emptying service. At the end of these programs, many households recalled benefitting from additional information on the value proposition of the different products and expressed their desire to acquire these products and services.
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Table 5: Radio programs and broadcasts in Year 6
Radio partners Spots broadcast Press releases Thematic programs disseminated Planned Conducted Planned Conducted Planned Conducted WC MIMIN products promoted RADIO VOIX DE LA 1000 1050 500 525 5 5 LAMA RADIO AHEME 1000 932 500 500 5 5 RADIO TOKPA 500 600 500 460 5 5
RADIO MONO FM 1000 1025 500 520 5 8
RADIO KPASSE 1000 1200 500 600 5 4
RADIO OLOKIKI 1000 1105 500 572 5 9
TOTAL 5500 5912 3000 3177 30 36 MIMIN emptying services promoted RADIO TOKPA 500 400 4 TOTAL 500 400 4
6. Producing and distributing promotional and sales materials The team produced 60,000 flyers and 1,000 posters to be used until the end of the project. During Year 6, the Vidange MIMIN sales teams distributed 10,788 flyers, 205 A2 posters and 348 pamphlets. These materials were distributed during door-to-door visits, events in health centers and in high-traffic areas.
Several sites conducive to murals were identified in Cotonou. For this activity, letters requesting authorization were sent to the managers of identified sites. Two managers responded positively, but their responses were verbal. Therefore, the project is waiting for a written note from them to begin the mural decoration process.
COMPONENT 2: INCREASE SAFE CONTAINMENT, TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL OF FECAL WASTE
Activity 1: Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) Model
Description of the Vidange MIMIN business model FSM, which is a key element of the SSD project, is based on promoting emptying services through a call center to expand the market, improve the quality of services and optimize customer satisfaction. The promotion of these services under the MIMIN brand, which means "clean" in the local language, includes working with promoters, media and non-media communication channels.
1. Creating demand for Vidange MIMIN emptying services
1.1. Signing the contract with and deploying new CSPs To strengthen the sales force, 17 new CSPs were recruited during Q4 of Year 6. Their contract signatures and deployment will be effective during Q1 of Year 7. This will bring the total number of active sales agents to 33, with 30 CSPs and three supervisors. The CSPs will be divided into three teams under the responsibility of the three supervisors. 40
1.2. RACE methodology training The project hosted a training to create demand for new CSPs, PEBCo agents and members of the management committee of the guarantee fund in the cities of Lokossa, Cotonou, Parakou, Djougou and Bohicon. These training sessions allowed participants to discover and practice the RACE methodology. Everything was reviewed, from supporting notions—split attention and listening with attention—to the different techniques of each component of the methodology.
These different modules allowed participants to learn how to do the pre-approach, approach, connect, identify problems with a household, calculate the cost of customers’ problems, present the solution and understand the value of a solution. Ideas on how to work in one's territory, mapping, tracking special numbers, using the gear lever to optimize effort and organizing the day into plans for goals were also covered. For each module, participants conducted simulations throughout the training and reflected in groups of three to five people. 1.3. Selling and promoting emptying services
CSPs during sales conversations
CSPs recruited to promote emptying services made a total of 36,032 visits for 21,190 complete conversations with homeowners. Overall, 997 emptying services were sold through the call center, and 2,471 seats were installed in households in Cotonou. The project ended Year 6 with 13 CSPs and three supervisors. Some evaluations made these agents leave, some did not obtain the minimum score of 75% and some resigned.
1.4. Using motorcycle taxi drivers to promote emptying services To strengthen the reputation of Vidange MIMIN, the team negotiated with a group of motorcycle taxi drivers from Cotonou to wear fluorescent vests branded with Vidange MIMIN colors. However, this initiative did not succeed due to the drivers’ demands (Moto Taxi drivers asked for money). Therefore, the team increased the displays of communication materials in booths and some stores to further promote services.
1.5. Promote emptying services in health centers and public spaces During vaccination sessions, the project team used the opportunity to educate women and children’s guardians on the need to regularly empty full pits, correctly use latrines and the value propositions of MIMIN seats.
These sessions primarily took place in the health centers of Aïdjèdo, Ahouansori-Tota and Dèkoungbé and at the Mon Etoile clinic in Vêdoko. Public spaces, such as the Bicentennial Square (in Cotonou's 7th arrondissement), also hosted sessions to promote Vidange MIMIN services to motorcycle taxi drivers. These sessions mobilized 82 people, including 72 mothers, and generated sales for 16 MIMIN seats.
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CSPs speaking with motorcycle taxi Discussions during CSPs speaking with the head of the drivers vaccinations Ahouansori-Tota health center
2. Debriefing with MIMIN VTO supervisors The sales teams held 17 debriefing sessions in Year 6. These debriefing sessions were replaced by telephone calls during Q3 to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures. These sessions provided an opportunity to review activities and resolve field issues not resolved by supervisors. The following issues were addressed during the sessions: • Some households objected to frequently filling pits, especially in rental houses. Households will use water to clean the toilet and claim that this may fill the pit too quickly. One household even tried to have a MIMIN toilet removed. The project team explained to that household the advantages of a SATO seat, such as reduced healthcare expenses due to improved hygiene. The toilet sales agent explains to Household that they do not need a lot of water to clean the SaTo. • Non-compliance with prices set by sanitation providers, whether the emptying is conducted by the providers or the call center. • Difficulty recruiting semi-wholesalers willing to buy and resell toilets. Regarding toilets that some households believe fill quickly, it was recommended that CSPs organize an information session with households or tenants on correctly using toilets. Since adopting this approach, the concern for filling pits has decreased and the adoption of MIMIN seats has increased. Regarding the price of emptying services, it was decided that the call center would send a VTO to negotiate with households to have a chance to reduce the price.
3. Recruiting a private partner for the call center The process of recruiting a private partner to take over the call center continued with the evaluation of offers received following an announced expression of interest. Four offers were evaluated, but only one met the specified pre-selection criteria. The only institution that provided the offer meeting the criteria is "Allo Vidange Benin,” which will therefore ensure the sustainability of the call center under Vidange MIMIN. The transfer process is underway and will be completed during Q1 of Year 7.
4. Connection through the call center The trend in relation to connecting through the call center evolved significantly during Year 6. Despite the COVID- 19 pandemic, which made it virtually impossible to conduct any field activities for several months, the call center recorded 1,342 calls, with an average of 112 calls per month. As of September 30, 2020, the call center received 1,342 calls for a total of 997 emptying services offered, representing a 74% conversion rate. These results happened due to CSPs, who fought to make calling the call center a reflex for many households when they need emptying completed, and the control committee that makes unannounced visits to households and VTOs. Households now know that not emptying a full pit is severely punishable by law and no longer want to make themselves vulnerable to this consequence. The project is also offering installation payments (an NGO in partnership with the project who offer that service), which allow households to solicit emptying services, even if they are unable to pay for the entire service.
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, which allow households to solicit emptying services, even if they are unable to pay for the entire service.
5. Call center sales SSD continued to promote the emptying services via the call center and through sales agents. The services conducted are illustrated in the figures below:
Figure 5: Emptying services conducted in Year 6
278 266 253
200
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 266 278 200 253
Figure 6: Share of services performed by call centers and total services performed by partners
Sum of Number of FSM Services sold by project partners 95% 5% Sum of FSM Services sent by call center
A total of 5% of the services completed by SSD project partner VTOs are provided through the call center.
6. Refresher trainings with partner VTOs and members of the unannounced control committee and monitoring VTO vaccinations The team organized a training session for managers and agents of the partner emptying institutions. In order for them to know the hygiene and sanitation laws and respect them, this training was followed by another one on sanitation legislation in Benin and the use and dosage of disinfectants.
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The control committee, which is in charge of enforcing the law with households and VTOs, also completed this training to be sufficiently experienced in the legislation in place and effectively conduct their role during unannounced visits.
With regard to vaccinating VTOs, follow up was conducted with those in charge of emptying institutions. The current concern is the resignation of some agents after vaccination. Therefore, the project explained to managers that all new agents must be vaccinated for their health. This policy is being followed with the support of the Union of Professional Sanitation Structures of Benin (USPAB).
7. Drafting a compendium on sanitation legislation in Benin The team drafted a compendium of the different sanitation laws to use for different advocacy and training sessions. A committee intervention manual was also written to explain the methodology of the unannounced control committee.
8. Institutional and organizational support for the VTO association (USPAB) The team accompanied the executive board of USPAB in the process of finalizing and reviewing texts and completing an organizational and institutional audit. Many challenges were highlighted that will be supported in Year 7.
9. Supervision and quality control of Vidange MIMIN To rectify issues observed during joint supervision of VTOs during Year 5, the ad-hoc committee—composed of an MoH representative, the Cotonou City Hall, the Ministry of the Living Environment and Sustainable Development, and USPAB—recommended creating a committee to conduct unannounced control visits with VTOs and households. The committee’s mission is to inform VTOs and households about sanitation and punish cases of recidivism or serious offences.
Following the dispatch of letters of request for designation to the Municipal Police, the Sanitary Police, the Republican Police, the Ministry of the Living Environment and Sustainable Development, and the National Directorate of Public Health, three institutions, namely the Municipal Police, the Sanitary Police and the Republican Police, answered the letters. Thus, the names of different representatives were sent. Under the recommendation of the MoH, the representative of the young residents in the Departmental Council for the Fight against Endemic Diseases joined this committee. With the aim of making this committee operational, a meeting was organized to officially set up the control committee. This committee is composed of the following members: • 13 municipal police officers, representing the 13 boroughs of Cotonou • Five sanitation police, covering the entire coastal zone (Cotonou) • Four BPLP agents • A youth representative sitting on the departmental council for the Fight against Endemic Diseases
To be efficient in the field and obtain the expected results in a short period of time, this committee defined a method for coordinating actions. The municipal police is in charge of listing the houses with full pits and giving summons deadlines, ranging from two to five days maximum to empty a full pit. The sanitation police is in charge of checking whether the notified household has emptied its pit. If this is not the case, the police send a warning for a maximum of 48 hours. Finally, if none of the previous interventions have been successful, the BPLP, as a coercive body, will issue a summons or take the person in question into custody with the possibility of having the offender brought before the Public Prosecutor's Office.
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Figure 7: Sanitation offense procedures
•Find the offense. •Conduct site visit. •Base on elements •Prepare a violation report. •Educate the owner. transmitted by the •Issue a summons to the •If necessary, issue a warning Municipal Police or Sanitary house owner, inviting with or without Police. him/her to empty his/her verbalization. •Address a summons to the pit within 2 to 5 days •Invite the owner to empty owner. maximum. his/her pit(s) within a •Refer to the police report. •For an emptier, write the maximum of 48 hours. •Put in place a custody infraction report that measure. he/she transmits to the •Present the subject of the sanitary police officer complaint to the responsible for his/her area. prosecutor. •Depending on the gravity of the offense, verbalize in accordance with the sanctions provided for by
legal provisions.
Police, or supports supports or Police, Municipal the Police managing reported in The Municipal The Municipal Police conducts control visits/checks by district. The Sanitary Policetakes over cases from the Municipal cases. The BPLP assists the Health Police orMunicipal Police, if necessary.
Activity 2: Support for demand creation of municipal police and sanitation police officers
Following the establishment of the unannounced control committee and subsequent trainings, the committee conducted two unannounced raids in Year 6. During the first phase of raids, 666 houses were visited, of which 234 had full pits, representing 35% of the houses visited. The unannounced raids made it possible to have 187 pits emptied, which is an efficiency rate of 80%. This activity had a multiplying effect and led to the identification of 11 new houses with full pits through neighborhood chiefs. Among these new pits, eight were emptied without the intervention of the sanitation police or the BPLP.
At the end of the first phase, the committee unofficially continued the raids until the second phase, which allowed for the emptying of 47 pending full pits and three new pits identified during the first phase. In summary, 245 full pits were found during the first phase, and all of these pits were emptied thanks to the work of the committee members and the support of local elected officials. During the second phase of raids, 622 houses were visited, of which 258 were full, representing 41% of the houses visited. During the control operation, 194 houses had pits that were emptied, i.e. 75% of the pits were full. At the end of the second phase, the committee members continued with reminders and as of September 30, 2020, of the 258 full pits, 231 have been emptied, for a 90% efficiency rate.
The two phases of unannounced raids allowed SSD to visit 1,288 houses, of which 503 had full pits that had not been emptied. In total, 476 pits were emptied at an efficiency rate of 95%.
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Unannounced raid by the republican and municipal police on households in the 6th and 9th districts of Cotonou
Activity 3: Supervision and coaching of WC MIMIN micro-entrepreneurs
The team supervised and coached six micro-entrepreneurs in the departments of Ouémé and Plateau and one in the department of Zou. Given the extension of the project in the northern region of the country, exchange sessions were also conducted with entrepreneurs in Parakou and Djougou, so they were informed the same as their peers. These coaching supervisions made it possible to take stock of each micro-entrepreneur’s activities to understand the obstacles to sustainability and engage them to do better. During the supervisions, a diagnosis of the marketing, production, personnel and financial management functions was conducted. For each of these functions, recommendations were made to each entrepreneur to improve their performance. These recommendations are recorded on the evaluation sheets filed in each entrepreneur's monitoring file.
Suggestions were made to an entrepreneur in Bohicon concerning using men’s hairdressing salons to promote products. There were also discussions about negotiating with a transport company that connects the north and south to promote sanitation products during travel, similar to individuals who sell local pharmaceutical products. Regarding bookkeeping, only one entrepreneur was able to try; however, bookkeeping is not regular enough to facilitate being able to trace expenses and profits. Thus, follow up will be conducted in this area in Year 7.
The team also spoke with micro-entrepreneurs about developing resilience measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic characterized by a largely disrupted environment. According to these micro-entrepreneurs, sales figures have fallen because many households remain reluctant to receive visits from third parties in their homes due to the risk of being contaminated. Faced with this situation, the project team has reassured these micro-entrepreneurs that SSD will spare no effort to play its part in fully developing their businesses. SSD also recommended using social networks and the services of town criers, as well as placing posters in strategic locations to increase the community's exposure to messages about the value of WC MIMIN products.
Coaching entrepreneurs in Missérété and Avrankou
Speaking with entrepreneurs at the prefabrication site Activity 4: Overview of the financing mechanism
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The finance model was designed to help household and compound owners receive sanitation loans with a monthly interest rate of 1.7% for 12 months. The loans come from PEBCo’s guarantee fund of $40,000 U.S., with a 5% loan savings to prove the ability to repay. The maximum loan amount an owner can receive is 175,000 FCFA and the maximum a WC MIMIN entrepreneur can receive is 500,000 FCFA. 1. Status of sanitation loans distributed by PEBCo At the end of September 2020, 1,200 loans had been disbursed for an amount of approximately 151,000,000 FCFA, corresponding to 2,500 WC MIMIN toilets built. Nearly 47% of households that have benefited from the loans are women, and 37% of households financed are below the national poverty line. The portfolio risk rate is 7%, which is slightly higher than the norm of 5%. With the sale of seats, the number of toilets sold has decreased and so has the number of toilets built with the sanitation loan.
2. Experience-sharing workshop with PEBCo agencies and the sales force These sessions aimed to exchange best practices in PEBCo collection with sales agents to effectively level the collection rate for selected PEBCo agencies. These sessions were held in February 2020 with the involvement of the sales teams of Adjarra, Porto-Novo, Akpro-Missérété, Avrankou and Sakété. In addition to the loss of employment, cases of invalidity and death of some customers lead to them not respecting their commitments to PEBCo. Other customers simply show bad faith, despite numerous reminders from sales agents. In the latter case, it has proven imperative to reverse the trend through using innovative collection approaches. This method was the result of discussions that led to the adoption of approaches that can be summarized as follows: • Contact PEBCo agencies in respective zones to obtain an updated list of unpaid invoices. • Establish a schedule with the collection agent of the concened PEBCo agency. • Prioritize mornings (before 8 a.m.) for reminding target households. • If necessary, involve local elected officials at the grassroots level to put more pressure on concerned households. After the exchange sessions, several households were reminded of their duties with PEBCo sales and collection agents. At the end of these reminders, several households were updated on their due dates.
Household reminder operation
3. Working session between the SSD project team and a tontine group This session examined a tontine group’s, or savings group, activities to potentially replicate them in another area. The group consists of 61 members (masons, auto mechanics, etc.) in Avrankou, a target area. The group existed before the SSD project. The members meet weekly and have an individual stake of 5,000 FCFA, with the total gross collected each week given to one member, rotating in turns.
The group was linked to the SSD project by a supervisor in the area who introduced the idea of using individual savings to build a WC Tontine group members with the sales force MIMIN toilet, a double-ventilated latrine, to benefit each member. The idea was introduced with mutual agreement from the association’s general managers. The association’s managers agreed with this proposal, for which each member
47 needs to save 200-500 FCFA per day. Once enough money is saved to build a latrine, a micro-entrepreneur will be contacted to start construction. To date, one latrine has been built for an association member, and it is expected all group members will have a latrine by December 2020.
4. Meeting between the SSD team and members of the management committee of the guarantee fund
Workshop participants
This meeting was held in May 2020 in Dangbo Commune. It provided an exchange forum between the members of the management committee of the guarantee fund, composed of a member of the agency in charge of primary health care (MoH), a representative from the Alafia Consortium, two representatives from PEBCo (Chief Operating Officer and General Manager), and one representative from the Decentralized Financial Systems Supervisory Agency.
The purpose of this exchange was to develop the sanitation loan and specific objectives through presenting performance indicators, evaluate the situation of clients suffering from a disability or even death, and define next steps. The exchange focused on both the appropriateness of the sanitation loan in implementing the project and performance indicators. The SSD team leader understood that sanitation loans correlate well with households’ needs. He added that nearly 3,000 households representing 60% of MIMIN toilet users (at the end of April 2020) have been able to equip their houses with latrines through loans from PEBCo agencies. Thus, in the absence of this service, these households would certainly continue to practice open defecation with implications for their health and the quality of their living environment.
According to the PEBCo Chief Operating Officer, it appears that by the end of April 2020, PEBCo has already disbursed 157,000,000 FCFA. Overall, out of 10 agencies involved in the sanitation loan portfolio, only two are underperforming with regard to the standard repayment rate (95%). These are the Tanpkè and Akassato agencies, which currently have an overall repayment rate of about 80%. In addition, six cases of death for an amount of 433,060 FCFA, seven cases of disability for an amount of 666,600 FCFA and 15 cases of serious illness for an amount of 1,048,140 FCFA have been recorded in different agencies. Finally, the Head of Service requested the use of the guarantee fund to settle the due dates in cases of death, disability and serious illness for some clients. As for the situation of sick and disabled clients, it was decided to seek the expertise of a certified doctor to attest to the seriousness of their health condition before seeking any contribution from the guarantee fund to balance these outstanding payments. The committee recommended that the guarantee fund be systematically called upon to pay out loans to deceased clients, and the following recommendations were made:
Table 6: Recommendations from PEBCo and SSD
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Partner Recommendations Achievement PEBCO Use the total balance of unpaid debts to make a professional decision in selection criteria for households It is ongoing. We are working to whose non-payments will be covered by the guarantee identify a physician who will certify fund (with all cases of death systematically covered). that the diseases of some of the client will not allow them to pay the loan Charge clients for death and disability insurance for future Yes, PEBCo has introduced loans. insurance in sanitation credit loans Reestablish distribution with new clients. This will start in January 2021 Continue actions already taken by clients in Ahouato The pro-format invoice of that village (use a bailiff to recover payments in this area as operation is high. So we are in there is a group of clients who refuse to repay and say it is negotiations with them. And there is up to the project). hope reimbursement
SSD Work with a licensed doctor to attest to the veracity of Ongoing clients who say they are sick or disabled (June 2020). Provide training for PEBCo facilitation agents, including Done members of the guarantee fund management committee, on using the same RACE sales method as the ABMS sales agents (June 2020). Motivate PEBCo facilitators who are in charge of Done canvassing potential sanitation loan borrowers in different SSD project intervention areas (beginning in October). Resume discussions with Orabank regarding financial Ongoing support to PEBCo (July 5).
5. Meeting between USAID Benin, ABMS and PEBCo microfinance
This exchange visit was part of the PEBC and SSD partnership that grants loans to households and micro-entrepreneurs. Presenting the situation of the sanitation loan portfolio, the PEBCo Director indicated that the average repayment rate is around 86%, a rate slightly lower than the norm, which is 95%. He then specified that several interventions are being implemented to improve this rate. These can be summarized as collection activities by the joint Association Béninoise pour le Marketing Social (ABMS)-PEBCo team and the implementation of new loans for the benefit of requesting households. Finally, PEBCo has once again Meeting participants renewed its vision to continue providing loans even after the end of the SSD project. In turn, the USAID delegation expressed its satisfaction with the good work done by the institution and suggested creating a document to share lessons learned.
6. Working session between Orabank and PEBCo management The session, held in October 2019, follows USAID’s commitment to strengthen the guarantee fund. It focused on a presentation from each institution and the flagship activities of the SSD project. It can be noted that Orabank is a commercial bank based in Lomé that finances several initiatives of both a social and commercial nature. PEBCo is a regularly registered microfinance institution with experience in sanitation loans. At the end 49 of August 2019, its portfolio was 13,500,000,000 FCFA with a global repayment rate (all portfolios combined) of 91.5%. According to the director, a minimum of 500,000,000 FCFA is necessary to strengthen the guarantee fund. SSD’s flagship activities—supply chain development, sales and demand creation, and those related to the financing of supply and demand set up by PEBCo Bethesda—were discussed. Other sessions are planned to examine the possibility of meeting PEBCo’s request.
The SSD team also organized working sessions with different PEBCo agencies to find approaches to solve the various bottlenecks hindering the disbursement operations of households and micro-entrepreneurs.
Exchange session with PEBCo agency managers COMPONENT 3: DISSEMINATE LEARNING ON MARKET-BASED APPROACHES
Activity 1: Stakeholder engagement and regional learning
1. Market actors’ workshops
The workshops are opportunities for actors involved in SSD project activities to meet and exchange information. The workshops are organized quarterly in the project's intervention departments and bring together communal and governmental partners, the sales force, micro-entrepreneurs, masons, and the SSD project team. In Year 6, SSD organized three workshops in project intervention areas, including a workshop in Dangbo for the departments of Ouémé- Plateau, one in Allada for the communes of Atlantique-Zou and one in Lokossa for the communes of Mono-Couffo. The workshops included the Participants at the Lokossa workshop following activities and discussions:
• Presentation of the National Union of MIMIN Sanitation Entrepreneurs of Benin (UNEAM) • Medium and long-term perspectives for the SSD project • Opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs in the context of COVID-19 • State of sanitation loans • Presentation on the evaluation results of micro-entrepreneurs and masons
Group work was organized to discuss the following themes: • Empowering micro-entrepreneurs in demand creation • Quality assurance of toilets and prefabricated components in the era of sustainability • Responsibility of communal actors to promote sanitation products
These workshops resulted in the following key recommendations:
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Table 7: Recommendations from stakeholders meeting N° Key Recommendations Achievement 1 Establish a consultation framework between the municipal Done agents involved in quality control (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Managers, the Head of the Service of Hygiene and Basic Sanitation [CDC-HAB], and municipal technicians) 2 Make the database on masons and micro-entrepreneurs Ongoing working in each commune, as well as the toilets and seats installed, available to communes. This information will be provided to the communes each month. 3 Establish an internal control committee with UNEAM to check Done toilets built to ensure sustainability. 4 Communicate well and raise awareness with municipalities to Done show them the importance of SSD project activities to engage them to become involved. 5 Equip trained pit-emptiers to clean pits. It will be done 2021 6 Train micro-entrepreneurs and municipal technicians on Done quality control for construction. 7 Equip municipal technicians with control equipment Not done (smartphone, Schmidt hammer, unit of measurement, etc.). 8 Advocate at the commune level to establish budget lines for Ongoing: some of the communes quality control supervision of toilets by commune technicians. promise to integrate that budget line for 2021 9 Ensure the actors (masons and micro-entrepreneurs) in each The process of masons and micro- commune are known to authorities. entrepreneurs Certification is ongoing 10 Advocate with area coordinating doctors to invite sales It has done in some communes agents and micro-entrepreneurs to Health Zone Management Team meetings 11 Ensure sales agents and micro-entrepreneurs are involved in Done meetings on the various consultation frameworks at the municipal level.
During these workshops, the best actors (masons and micro-entrepreneurs) were rewarded. The objective of these different rewards is to encourage the best actors to achieve their missions and encourage those who are less motivated. Three micro-entrepreneurs and three masons each received 50,000 FCFA and a lot of equipment to encourage them to get more involved and stay active in SSD activities.
Different communal and governmental actors were A mason receiving his bonus from the Water and invited to attend and present at these workshops, showing Sanitation Manager of the Ouidah commune their involvement in SSD project activities.
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2. Project review workshop with municipal and governmental actors In March 2020, SSD Benin organized a debriefing workshop on SSD with communal and governmental actors. This workshop enabled the SSD project team to achieve the following results: • Communal and governmental actors committed to become more involved in SSD project activities through their presence in the field (quality control of components and validation of toilets). • Supply chain actors were in greater contact with communal and governmental actors. This allowed these actors to monitor micro-entrepreneurs in prefabricating components Government actors visiting a micro-entrepreneur and during construction. • Different achievements (toilets and seats) in the Allada commune were seen by communal and governmental actors.
Communal and governmental actors made the following important recommendations during this workshop: • Make the database of toilets built and seats installed available to communes. • Set up an exchange forum on WhatsApp between communal and governmental actors and the SSD project team. • Revitalize the water, hygiene and sanitation consultation frameworks in communes. • Organize monthly working sessions between the REHAs and SSD project zone technicians.
3. Participating in the review workshop of the hygiene and basic sanitation sub-sector Organized by the MoH, the workshop brought together several actors from the hygiene and basic sanitation sub-sector to take stock of the main activities in 2019 and discuss the challenges. Several recommendations were made and documented:
- Make the meetings of the steering committee of the actors intervening in the sub-sector sustainable - Continue the accreditation process for the MoH laboratory - Finalize the process leading to the finalization of overdue texts - Finalize communication projects in the Council of Ministers relating to the adoption of the Strategy (SNPHAB) in urban and peri-urban areas - Map the interventions and stakeholders in the implementation of CLTS and WASH marketing in Benin
Activity 2: Revising the WC MIMIN and Vidange MIMIN marketing plans
A workshop was held in October 2019 to review the WC MINIM and Vidange MIMIN marketing plans. This workshop provided an opportunity to review the implementation of previous plans. This review revealed significant progress in the implementation of activities. However, it should be noted that for the emptying component, the change in orientation rendered some proposed implementation initiatives obsolete.
Under the new WC MIMIN marketing plan, two strategic priorities were identified following discussions: 1. Identify and implement a sustainable supply system of SaTo pans. 2. Strengthen entrepreneurs’ capacities in demand creation.
With this positioning and in the current project intervention zones, to which the communes of Parakou and Djougou will be added, the team planned to sell 12,508 sanitation products in Year 6.
To achieve this goal, several strategies with implementation initiatives were defined for each marketing variable: 52
• Create a range of MIMIN toilet latrines with two varieties. • Identify and implement a sustainable supply system for SaTo pan. • Ensure the availability of WC MIMIN components at entrepreneurs' points of sale. • Strengthen collaboration between micro-entrepreneurs. • Reinforce the visibility of the WC MIMIN brand. • Strengthen promotion at the community level. • Gradually adapt the structure of the sales team to the need for sustainability.
Three strategic priorities were identified for the emptying component: • Systematic adoption of the service protocol for hygienic and quality emptying. • Transfer the call center to a private operator for sustainability. • Strengthen collaboration with local authorities, with an emphasis on applying relevant laws.
Addressing these strategic priorities enabled the team to meet the expectations of the target group for emptying services composed of two actors: Prosper (archetypal household) and Philippe (archetypal service provider). These archetypes include the following descriptions: "For Prosper, Vidange MIMIN is a quality and affordable emptying service that allows him to have a healthy and attractive living environment and contribute to the well- being of his family.” "For Philippe, Vidange MIMIN adds value to his business and provides him with additional income.”
It was also decided that products and services would be promoted under the WC MIMIN brand and Vidange MIMIN. The seat will be marketed as a product accessory under the name POT MIMIN. A key recommendation was to develop a formal marketing plan for the seats.
Activity 3: Field visit with a USAID delegation
A USAID delegation met with project stakeholders during a field visit on March 17, 2020. The visit included meeting with two beneficiary households to assess their satisfaction. The delegation also met with project stakeholders and government partners.
USAID delegation visit
N° Key Recommendations Achievement
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1 Sustainability of the SaTo Pan in the market: Move very quickly to We have already establish a partnership with an exporter in Benin to take ownership identified 2 private of Satopan's order in order to keep it available on the market until enterprises for SaTo innovative and sustainable solutions are found with Lixil for Benin Importation and the sub-region. Link this Private sector actor with the Micro- entrepreneurs association.
2 Sustainability of the call center: Move quickly with private sector Allo Mobile has been operator recruitment and work with the private sector to take over selected for Call Center the call center at the end of the project: please involve the ‘’ The taking over Ministere de cadre de vie’’ in this process. 3 Advocate by using the success with PEBCo to raise Micro-finance Ongoing institutions interest and the government support. 4 Strengthen communication for knowledge sharing by creating and 3 videos will be shared broadcasting a few minutes video on good practices and lessons soon learned on SSD Program.
Activity 4: Advocacy and awareness
1. Webinar on the WC MIMIN business model The project team organized a webinar with Sanitation and Water for All on August 17, 2020. A dozen countries represented by 51 participants, including USAID and Benin’s MoH, participated. The webinar focused on the WC MIMIN business model, an approach that generates the monthly sale of 2,000 sanitation products.
Representatives from Madagascar expressed interest in a follow-up call with the SSD team to benefit from key tips that could help them get their sanitation marketing project off the ground. Similarly, the SSD project was selected on a WASH platform that brings together more than 130 countries. Finally, on this same occasion, the microfinance component was selected to be shared at an international conference to be organized next November for WASH-sector stakeholders. Benin will be represented at this conference by the Ministers of Health and Finance and possibly the SSD team.
2. Engaging government and local authorities The team collaborated with local elected officials in the neighborhoods where surveys of households without latrines were conducted. Plans to mobilize households without latrines to organize community demonstration sessions, followed by home visits with the involvement of sales agents and masons, were defined and agreed upon. The team also had a productive meeting with the mayor of Cotonou and his staff. Project focal points at the commune level are regularly involved in project activities in the field.
The project team held advocacy sessions with the prefect of the Atlantic-Littoral Department, members of the departmental administrative conference, the mayors and their district chiefs. They discussed mobilization to create demand, including taking decrees to apply sanitation laws and including a budget line on a Hygiene and Basic Sanitation Component for all communes. In all communes where the project intervened, almost all the district chiefs, including the neighborhood chiefs and mayors, were mobilized to create demand.
3. Advocacy at the MoH
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A meeting was held with the Deputy Director of the Cabinet; the National Director of Public Health; the Head of CDC-HAB, assisted by one of his collaborators; and an SSD delegation (SSD Benin team leader, the Research and Documentation Officer and the Communication and Lessons Learned Officer) at the MoH in November 2019. This session presented project results to date and invited the MoH to participate in 2019 World Toilet Day activities.
Meeting with the SSD team and MoH
4. World Toilet Day 2019 celebration in Bohicon The SSD team started the event with a caravan organized in several districts in the target city. Many households were informed about the need to equip their houses with WC MIMIN toilet seats. Several flyers and pamphlets were also distributed. With the support of project masons, exhibition stands were set up to give more visibility to the project’s products. Jointly staffed by sales agents and micro-entrepreneurs, the stands received several visitors who were interviewed on latrine functionality and attributes. During that event we reached about 3,500 people as we invested all in the Bohicon Market and the surrounding households. And about 3,000 persons use to attend that market. Many journalists were present at the event for media coverage, and several of them published articles.
World Toilet Day 2019 highlights
5. Advocacy session with the National Association of Communes of Benin (ANCB) This session aimed to strengthen collaboration with all project target areas. It was also an opportunity to establish project links with the ANCB institution so it can influence partner municipalities to be aware of their responsibility in sanitation issues. The team explained the project’s objectives and expectations to the municipal authorities present. As a result, mayors committed themselves to become involved in project implementation in their respective localities. This session involved 72 out of the 77 mayors in Benin.
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SSD session with ANCB
6. USAID storytelling video training Under the leadership of the former Regional Communication Manager of the SSD project, a workshop was held in January 2020 at ABMS. This workshop aimed to help the Benin team in charge of documentation produce a story and edit a video on a smartphone following USAID standards. During the training, the documentation team was trained to create a storytelling video using the Mobile KineMaster application. Two videos were also created about project micro-entrepreneurs in the localities of Houéyogbé and Bohicon, which can be accessed at the following links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOBA7EGo0Y 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl_ujQXVhHg&feature=youtu.be&t=43
Filming the video with micro-entrepreneurs
Activity 5: Dissemination and learning
The project shared publications and information on the following forums in Year 6:
AfWA publications • Emptiers affiliated with the SSD project were trained in norms and standards. • Provision of sanitation services: micro-entrepreneurs do not envisage the end of the SSD project.
West Africa Regional Economic Bulletin articles • Ismael and the MIMIN Brand: A Determined Sanitation Entrepreneur • Micro-Entrepreneurs Harmonize Efforts to Deliver Quality Sanitation Services and Products • Sanitation Entrepreneurs Record Higher Sales as Demand for Handwashing Devices Increase Due to COVID-19 • SSD Supports the National Association of Benin Municipalities to Fight COVID-19 • SSD Awards High-Performing Sanitation Entrepreneurs and Artisans in Benin YouTube • Celebration of World Toilet Day 2019 • Two success stories on micro-entrepreneurs using the Mobile KineMaster application Facebook • 74 publications on the SSD Facebook page • 30 publications on the ABMS Facebook page ABMS website • Two publications
Links to the above and additional publications are included in the tables below.
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Publications from October-December 2019 Notes https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.784031761 Eight publications on the SSD 731194/1791495330984827/?type=3&theater Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.1778236 338977393/1778222308978796/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.1778219 475645746/1778206532313707/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.1765338 580267169/1765336903600670/?type=3&theater https://web.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1743106299157064/?type=3&theater https://web.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.17368557 63115451/1736853676448993/?type=3&theater https://web.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.17280432 70663367/1728034637330897/?type=3&theater https://web.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.17204076 71426927/1720402041427490/?type=3&theater https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG64oTsQlJg&list=UU YouTube video of World Toilet Day mPXzeJaO7nrA87GIz3N6wQ&index=3157 2019 activities https://www.pseau.org/outils/biblio/resume.php?d=8506&l pS-EAU article on quality control =fr
Publications from January-March 2020 Notes https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18827200 11 publications on the SSD project 75195685/1882705201863839/?type=3&theater Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18827017 25197520/1882699798531046/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18784048 58960540/1878395615628131/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18783854 95629143/1878381992296160/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18464413 52156891/1846427308824962/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18540194 14732418/1854017614732598/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18540250 51398521/1854023401398686/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18827200 75195685/1882705201863839/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18827017 25197520/1882699798531046/?type=3&theater
57 https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18784048 58960540/1878395615628131/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.18783854 95629143/1878381992296160/?type=3&theater https://afwa-hq.org/index.php/en/category-news/item/1178- Two publications on AfWA: sanitation-service-delivery-micro-entrepreneurs-do-not- Title1: Benin: Bouncers affiliated envisage-the-end-of-ssd-project with the SSD project trained in https://afwa-hq.org/index.php/en/category-news/item/1180- norms and standards benin-emptyers-affiliated-to-the-ssd-project-trained-on-the- norms-and-standards-in-force Title2: Provision of sanitation services: micro-entrepreneurs do not envisage the end of the SSD project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOBA7EGo0Y Two videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl_ujQXVhHg&feature=y Testimony of a paving stone outu.be&t=43 manufacturer who became a Sanitation Entrepreneur with the SSD project, funded by USAID.
Testimony of a young community mobilizer who became a Sanitation Entrepreneur with the SSD project, funded by USAID https://outlook.office.com/mail/search/id/AAQkAGFkMTU0N Article in the USAID newsletter: TNkLTVkZTItNDk3OS1hYWI4LTI0M2UxNDI0N2Y2ZQAQABaBYR Title: Micro-Entrepreneurs x%2BOEVEoGFGV4Xa1sc%3D#x_x_mctoc6 Harmonize Efforts to Deliver Quality Sanitation Services and Products
Publications from April-June 2020 Notes https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 16 publications on the SSD project 31194/1911163919017967 Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19112343 45677591/1911231802344512/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19131927 62148416/1913189098815449/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1946724582128567/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19469715 55437203/1946967915437567/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19510861 75025741/1951083101692715/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1962096160591409
58 https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19721286 26254829/1972126469588378/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19721309 26254599/1972129672921391/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1972131966254495/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1972150159586009/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19721547 86252213/1972152642919094/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1972157149585310/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19732137 72812981/1973210222813336/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19732353 16144160/1973228582811500/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1973242149476810/ https://www.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/40526088381136 Four publications on the ABMS 97 Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/40526123247800 15 https://www.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/40526219314457 21 https://www.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/40526184481127 36 https://mailchi.mp/182286b275c4/celebrating-agoa- One article in the USAID newsletter: 6437364?e=%5bUNIQID%5d Title: Sanitation Entrepreneurs Record Higher Sales as Demand for Handwashing Devices Increase Due to COVID-19
Publications from July-September 2020 Notes https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19802767 39 publications on the SSD project 48773350/1980275115440180/ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19880460 47996420/1988044087996616/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1988048911329467/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1988097074657984/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19881103 27989992/1988102564657435/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19931774 30816615/1993173834150308/
59 https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19934596 20788396/1993457047455320/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19934653 37454491/1993461577454867/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.19934994 04117751/1993476860786672/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1994282810706077/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1994414520692906/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/1996374297163595/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20011669 46684330/2001165073351184/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20012025 43347437/2001188256682199/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2003259383141753 https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2003270069807351/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20104221 95758805/2010409492426742/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20172330 25077722/2017232658411092/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20224523 61222455/2022449261222765/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20225331 01214381/2022519661215725/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20225411 74546907/2022540747880283/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20238355 47750803/2023828567751501/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2023841994416825/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20248424 70983444/2024840267650331/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20309148 70376204/2030912407043117/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20309242 80375263/2030921503708874/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20309593 40371757/2030955357038822/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2048043505330007/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20480704 18660649/2048055415328816/
60 https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2048101551990869/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20482544 48642246/2048245485309809/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2051646218303069/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/pcb.20516735 71633667/2051653931635631/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2051674638300227/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2051732754961082/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2051758718291819/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2058933150907709/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2076682012466156/ https://www.facebook.com/USAIDssd/photos/a.7840317617 31194/2076688205798870/ https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443284726675 26 publications on the ABMS 6517 Facebook page, with 84,730 people https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443283785009 reached on both Facebook and 0792 Instagram and 54,327 interactions https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443282421009 2156 with posts https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443281650009 2927 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443281238342 6672 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443280794009 3783 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443280206342 7704 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/435644133106 3778 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/435643196106 4715 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429404845396 9733 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429404013730 3898 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429403569063 7676 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429401913063 9332 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/422316309439 1603
61 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/421052737232 1842 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/418516045819 1867 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416238117046 9796 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416237738047 0175 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416237132713 7447 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416236336380 4910 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416235779713 8800 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416235133047 2780 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416233945714 0634 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416233246714 1333 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443284726675 6517 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443283785009 0792 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443282421009 2156 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443281650009 2927 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443281238342 6672 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443280794009 3783 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443280206342 7704 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/435644133106 3778 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/435643196106 4715 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429404845396 9733 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429404013730 3898 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429403569063 7676 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/429401913063 9332 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/422316309439 1603 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/421052737232 1842
62 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/418516045819 1867 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416238117046 9796 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416237738047 0175 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416237132713 7447 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416236336380 4910 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416235779713 8800 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416235133047 2780 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416233945714 0634 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/416233246714 1333 https://business.facebook.com/abms.bj/posts/443292890341 5020 https://abmsbj.org/lassociation-nationale-des-communes-du- Two publications on the ABMS benin-ancb-et-lequipe-du-projet-sanitation-services-delivery- website, with 5,498 views se-donnent-la-main-pour-lutter-contre-la-pandemie-de-la- maladie-a-coronavirus/ https://abmsbj.org/sanitation-service-delivery-des-artisans- partenaires-performants-recompenses-pour-la-qualite-de- leurs-produits-a-lissue-dune-supervision-evaluative/ https://mailchi.mp/fdc99934f8cd/celebrating-agoa- Two articles in the USAID 6449624?e=[UNIQID] newsletter: Title 1: SSD Supports the National Association of Benin Municipalities to Fight COVID-19
Title 2: SSD Awards High- Performing Sanitation Entrepreneurs and Artisans in Benin
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CROSSCUTTING: MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING
1. Data quality assurance In Year 6, the project continued to work on data quality assurance. These actions included verifying information reported by agents and auditing data in DHIS2. This process has been facilitated by the switch to mobile data collection for sanitation products and emptying services sold.
Since the project began by reporting sales of products sold directly by entrepreneurs from their sites, there was a challenge in encouraging illiterate and unaccustomed entrepreneurs to document and report their sales. Thus, the project met with these entrepreneurs to teach them how to complete the collection tools and the importance of reporting to properly manage their businesses. These visits allowed the project to report the sales data directly obtained by entrepreneurs during May and September 2020.
2. Mobile routine data collection
For the SSD project’s first five years, routine data were collected via paper, which had the following disadvantages: • Large volume of data • Long collection time • Low motivation to collect data • Many errors on collection forms • Errors during data entry • Heavy workload for M&E staff to clean up the data • Real-time unavailability of data for decision making
To solve these issues, the SSD project initiated mobile data reporting via the DHIS2 Android Capture application. Agents have been trained on using this Exchange between the M&E officer and an application and a manual has been developed to help them. This change led entrepreneur on data reporting to the following improvements: • Rapid data collection • More control of data during collection • More motivation to collect data • Reduced workload and improved M&E staff efficiency • Availability of data for real-time decision making • Better quality data
The figure below shows the procedure for the routine collection of sanitation product sales data:
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Figure 8: Sanitation product sales data collection process
Agents currently use two forms to collect data via cell phones: • The registration form for sanitation product sales • The registration form for the emptying services conducted via the call center
The project aims to extend the use of all project forms during the next initiative and effectively train sales team supervisors on using analytical tools. The project is also continuing to think about extending mobile collection of sales directly recorded by entrepreneurs at their sites.
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Benin lessons learned
• Sharing project results with government actors (MoH and community hygiene officers) strengthens these actors’ commitment in implementing supply and demand creation activities and ensuring sustainability of project activities. As a result: - Through that activity the mayor of Djougou has set the sanitation brigade for improved toilets in households and the commune Environmental Health officer are on the field involved in this activity - The prefect of Littoral and Atlantique Department has increased the number of policeman involved in the joint control committee for sanitation law enforcement through SSD advocacy • Involving community relays in demand creation (canvassing households) helps guarantee sustainability of activities once the project ends. • The joint PEBCo loan recovery activities conducted with ABMS and PEBCo agents have had a positive impact on repayment. • Start a process for micro-entrepreneurs to strengthen their commitment to the sustainability of the SSD project, namely import SaTo pan. • Building members’ capacity through the unannounced monitoring committee increased their ability to intervene in the community. • For a strong mobilization of grassroots actors around the project, it is necessary to initiate periodic meetings with them or regularly share project results with them. • Due to the huge opportunity that the sanitation loan presents, some individuals have anticipated their repayments and benefited from PEBCo loans. • To earn a maximum commission, sales agents have referred some households ineligible for sanitation loans to PEBCo agencies. These households were able to benefit from the PEBCo loan and bring together most of those who are not in good standing regarding their repayment schedule. It should be noted that despite the social nature, the professional work of loan officers is required to minimize the risks of non- payment in addition to sales agents’ prior work. • Some households in bad standing proposed that the supposed non-completion of their product justified their unpaid bills. It is essential to systematically organize a joint visit (SSD and PEBCo) for the benefit of households immediately after building their product. This will make it possible to stop any obstacles that may affect using their product and will encourage these households to regularly repay their loans. • It is essential to build the capacity of the different stakeholders in charge of promoting emptying services on sanitation legislation for smooth and effective action on the ground. • In the space of 10 days, 187 houses out of 234 (80%) households whose latrine pits were full immediately called the emptying service. Regular raids on houses by the municipal police, the sanitation police and the republican police can lead house owners to become accustomed to emptying their latrine pits on time.
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FOCUS ON GENDER AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
The SSD project has always taken into account gender as much as possible. In SSD Benin, the team is composed of several female community counselors, including three supervisors. Among the entrepreneurs to date, three have been women.
Additionally, out of the eight PEBCo microfinance branches that are supporting the SSD project, four are led by women. There are also female focal points in three project intervention areas.
The different options proposed to build manual flush toilets consider vulnerable populations, in that the price has been reduced as much as possible to allow vulnerable households that do not have toilets to build them. Also, the financing strategy through the daily tontine helps allow low-income households to easily repay the sanitation loan to build toilets for their family’s wellbeing.
Landlords’ wives often make decisions with their husbands in building toilets, as these women are more exposed to the risks related to open defecation or from using public toilets (exposure of their privacy, risk of aggression, infections, etc.). The project’s research questionnaires account for gender through specific questions related to women, especially regarding their satisfaction in using toilets.
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ANNEX A Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT)
The Indicator Performance Tracking Table is included with this report as a separate Excel file.
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