Socio-ecologically-designed action plan model for sanitation and water challenges in selected schools, Western Cape, South Africa
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
This investigation aimed to explore the application of a socio-ecologically designed action plan model for addressing challenges of service provision for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in selected quintile 1, 2 and 3 primary and secondary schools, in Western Cape Province, South Africa. This investigation was informed by the reported slow progress in schools regarding the ladder of WASH services. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program defined the ladder of WASH services in schools as made up of advanced, basic, limited, and no level of WASH services. However, these ladders of services have not been tested in schools. Therefore, no empirical evidence exists regarding their implementation or operationalization in schools. The selected schools tend to mirror societal trends and infrastructural conditions. Thus, a gap exists between the conceptual ladders of services and their practical application in addition to the lack of a management tool that aligns monitoring and reporting progress of WASH services in schools. There was also lack of identified mechanisms to sustain the reported improved interventions for WASH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis argues that socio-ecological principles are instrumental in fostering equitable access to reliable WASH services in schools by revealing interactions in the spheres of the model. The research focused on how to use a socio-ecologically designed action plan model to address the reported slow progress on the ladder of WASH services in schools. Data was collected through document analysis, policy analysis, key information interviews, auditing and observations. A socio-ecological model was used as an analytical and interpretative framework. The unit of analysis was the ladder of WASH services. The four variables in the ladder (level) of WASH services were assessed using record review and auditing methods and their presence or absence field tested in the selected schools using the socioecological model as an analytical framework. Results showed that advanced level of WASH services was not available at local level schools. This meant that the ‘advanced’ level of school-based WASH service remained hypothetical and aspirational.
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Keywords
Socio-Ecologically, Service Provision, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene