NZOWASCO Water Kiosk Sensitisation Concept for Taskforce and Drama Group November, 2007

NZOWASCO Water Kiosk Sensitisation Concept for Taskforce and Drama Group November, 2007

Table of Contents

1Introduction

2The “Water Shows”

2.1Activities of the “Water Show”

2.2Activity 1: The Introductory Address by the taskforce Member

2.3Activity 2: A Presentation of the Project and of the Kiosk System

2.4Activity 3: Questions, Remarks and Proposals of Participants

2.5Activity 4: The First Sketch of the Drama Group: Public Health

2.6Activity 5: The Address by the Local Public Health Expert

2.7Activity 6: Questions, Remarks and Proposals of Participants

2.8Activity 7: Question and Answer Session and the Second Sketch

2.8.1The Question and Answer Session

2.8.2The Second Sketch

2.9Activity 8: Address Concerning the Functioning of the Kiosk System

3Formal Group Discussions

NZOWASCO Water Kiosk Sensitisation Concept for Taskforce and Drama Group November, 2007

1Introduction

Nzowasco is implementing a water kiosk system in the low-income areas of its service areas namely Kaburengo and Muslim in Webuye, and Bukembe in Bungoma. All these areas have had no piped water or have had other alternative sources of water for many years. The residents of these areas either fetched water from the wells like in Muslim area, or other sources. It is for this reason that the project team feel that there is need for public health and hygiene campaign not only to discourage people from fetching water from the wells but also to sell our product (when one buys a product he is given a manual on how to use the product), we will simply be giving them the manual for clean water.

The proposed sensitisation consists of the following activities:

Water shows.
Formal group discussions with residents and taskforce members.
Visits to the treatment waterworks by the taskforce members and kiosk operators.
Public announcements using a handheld megaphone.
Putting up posters in the project areas as well at some public places in the centre of town.

All elements of the programme form part of an integrated sensitisation approach. In order to make the connection between the various activities clear to the target population, all activities should be linked to the Company logo , as well as by its slogan:

We care for your water,

Customer care and quality service!

This document provides a detailed presentation of all the elements of the sensitisation programme.

2The “Water Shows”

2.1Activities of the “Water Show”

The “water shows” consist of the following activities:

An introductory address by a taskforce member who is also member of the Taskforce (duration: 5 minutes).
A presentation of the project focusing upon the construction of the kiosks, community participation and the kiosk system (how does it function and who is responsible for what?) (duration: 15 minutes).
Participants are given the opportunity to ask questions and come up with proposals (duration: 15 minutes).
A first sketch performed by a drama group on public health and the advantages of consuming water from the kiosk (duration: 15 minutes).
An address by a local public health expert on the relationship between water (quality), sanitation and public health (duration: 15 minutes).
Participants are given the opportunity to ask questions and come up with proposals (duration: 15 minutes).
A question and answer session and a second sketch performed by the same drama group on the role of the community in making the kiosk system sustainable (duration: 15 minutes).
An address on the kiosk system (payment system and opening hours) (duration: 15 minutes).
Participants are given the opportunity to ask questions and come up with proposals (duration: 15 minutes).
Closure of the meeting by the taskforce member(duration: 5 minutes).

The impact of the health and hygiene messageis expected to be rather limited as changes in behavioural patterns related to health and hygiene require ongoing activities and long-lasting health education programmes.

In the next sections the various activities which constitute a “water show” are discussed in some detail.

2.2Activity 1: The Introductory Address by the taskforce Member

The taskforce member responsible for the opening address highlights the following issues:

The sensitisation programme itself (activities and duration).
The cooperation between the taskforce, the community, the Council, the Police, the Chief, the local NGOs and NZOWASCO.
The formation, composition and responsibilities and activities of the Taskforce.
The fact that the kiosks are constructed with and for the community
The involvement of the community and of other stakeholders (data collection, localisation of the kiosks).
The number of kiosks that will be constructed.

Duration of the address:approximately 5 minutes.

2.3Activity 2: A Presentation of the Project and of the Kiosk System

During this important address the speaker (a Taskforce member) explains the purpose of the project as well as the way the kiosk system functions. After his/her address the participants are given the opportunity to ask questions. The following issues have to be emphasised during the address:

The main objectives of NZOWASCO (social, public health and commercial) and how the Company intends to achieve these objectives in the project areas.
The kiosk itself (Its design being user friendly).
The tasks, responsibilities and rights of the kiosk operator.
The tasks and responsibilities of the Kiosk Supervisor. The Kiosk Supervisor is the link between the Operator and the population on the one hand and the service provider on the other).
The tasks and responsibilities of the Plumbers and the Meter Readers of the Service Provider.
The role, responsibilities and rights of the customers. Customers pay for water and have rights: they have the right to receive a good product and a good service. The Service Provider has a Customer Complaints Centre.

The speaker has to explain that after the second sketch more information will be given on the functioning of the kiosk system.

Duration of the address:approximately 15 minutes.

2.4Activity 3: Questions, Remarks and Proposals of Participants

After the second address the participants can ask questions with regard to the first two addresses.

Duration of the question and answer session: approximately 15 minutes.

2.5Activity 4: The First Sketch of the Drama Group: Public Health

The main message/theme of the first sketch is:

Health and hygiene and the importance of consuming treated water.

The objective of the sketch:

To dramatise to the audience the health risks that household that consume untreated water (for example water from open wells) are exposed to.
To explain the importance of using treated water, especially for drinking and preparing meals.
The price of kiosk water that it is affordable, always compare with the prices of things like sweets which are not really valuable to human life, one can live without these things.

Required materials (imaginary or physical):

Open well.
Pit latrine.
Bucket and cup.
Tap/kiosk.
Money.
Doctor’s kit.

Important issues to consider (Frame of the sketch):

A family gets drinking water from an open well within their yard, because the father insists that there is nothing wrong with consuming untreated water.
Despite having access to cheap treated water at the kiosk, the family continues fetching untreated (contaminated) water from the well.
The wife wants to fetch treated water, but there is no proper budgeting in the household as the husband is ever selfish and spends almost all the family money on beer together with his friends.
The wife tells the husband that if they continue using untreated water: “One day one of us might get sick of cholera or dysentery. As I attend antenatal clinic, nurses usually advice us not to use untreated water for drinking and cooking”.
The child, who gets a lot of information on public health and hygiene at school, also pleads with his father to start spending part of his “drinking money” on clean water. The father does not follow this advice and refuses to change his behaviour.
The father argues that: “Small boy, what can you tell me. We have been using water from our well even before you were born. We do not get sick very often!”
During the last 10 years many other families have settled in the compound near and next to the plot of the family. Some of these neighbours dispose of their rubbish in a pit and have built their latrines near the family well. As a result the water gets contaminated.
One morning the father gets sick. He suffers from dysentery and gets admitted to the hospital.
The family has to struggle to find money to meet the treatment costs. The registration fee at a government hospital costs Ksh 20 and other charges like laboratory and this could have bought the family 10 jerrycans of clean water. Time spent going to the hospital could have been used to realise some income for the family.
Because the father is in hospital, the family income suffers (the father has a shoe repair business).
After discharge, the father is now convinced and starts supporting the wife when it comes to reserving money for treated water.
The family is happy again.
The End.

Duration of the sketch: approximately 15 minutes.

2.6Activity 5: The Address by the Local Public Health Expert

The address of the local public health expert (for example, the Environmental Health Technician) has to tackle the following issues:

Some of the common water-related diseases and how they can be:

a)Transmitted.

b)Prevented.

c)Cured.

Bearing in mind that prevention is better (a less costly) than cure.

The importance of using safe and treated water.
Fetching water and the need to use a clean container (during transportation and storage).
Water storage practices and advices.
Water treatment practices and advices (boiling water and the use of water guard).
Using water from alternative sources (for bathing, washing and other usages).
General food and food preparation hygiene.
Solid waste disposal practices.
Disposal of human faeces.
Keeping the pit latrine clean.
Personal hygiene (cleaning of hands after visiting the latrine, before eating, etc.).
Domestic and environmental hygiene.

The Taskforce also has to enquire whether the public health expert requires additional materials such as flipcharts, markers, paper, etc.

Duration of the address: approximately 15 minutes.

2.7Activity 6: Questions, Remarks and Proposals of Participants

After the address of the local public health expert, the participants/audience are given the opportunity to ask questions with regard to the first two addresses.

Duration of the question and answer session: approximately 15 minutes.

2.8Activity 7: Question and Answer Session and the Second Sketch

2.8.1The Question and Answer Session

The main message/theme of the question and answer session and the second sketch is:

Water supply and the role of the community.

The objective of the question and answer session performed by the drama group is to inform through drama the audience on:

The service provider (name
Treated water and the costs involved in the treatment process.
The number of kiosk that will be constructed.
The role the community should play when it comes to safeguarding public infrastructures found within the area, including the kiosks and the network, which both belong to the service provider, but which were constructed for and with the community.

Important points to consider and format of the performed question and answer session:

A meeting with residents is called by the service provider.
The speaker/chairman of the service provider explains the main objective of the meeting (see the objective of the sketch).
The speaker/chairman asks questions to the residents of the area who are present. The members of the drama group act as the residents.
Question and answer format is used throughout the meeting with explanations being provided by the speaker/chairman.

The following questions can be asked:

Question: “James, my dear, could you tell me the name of the Water Company that is providing us with treated water and with kiosks?”.

Correct answers: Nzoia Water Setrvices Company.
Wrong Answers: Water Affairs, the Council,

Question: “Doreen, you being the oldest person in this area, tell us how many kiosks will be constructed.
Correct answer: 1 A, B, C ……….G).
Wrong answer: You mean small shops, we have plenty of them here, (other wrong answer) 3.
Question to the audience: By the way, tell me some of the costs that are incurred by the Company in the production of treated water that is sold at the kiosk.
Answer: KPLC bills, Cost of pipes, cost of water purification chemicals (aluminium sulphate, chlorine, etc.), fuel costs, wages of the NZOWASCO staff, maintenance and repair costs, replacement costs.
Earlier on someone said that 1 kiosk are being constructed in the compounds. After being commissioned, who do you think should protect the pipes, valves, taps and kiosk from vandalism?.
Answer: the community, the Operator, the Company.
How should the community guard the property owned and managed by the Company against vandalism?:
Answer: Each and every member of the community should be considered a “watchdog”.
What is the motto/slogan of the Water Services Company?
Answer: We care for your water, Customer care and quality service!
The speaker/chairman explains the meaning of the motto/slogan.

Duration of the question and answer session: approximately 5 minutes.

2.8.2The Second Sketch

The main message/theme of the second sketch is:

Water supply and the role of the community.

The objective of the question and answer session and second sketch is:

To inform, through drama, the audience on the role the community should play when it comes to safeguarding public infrastructures found within the compound, including the kiosks and the network which belong to the NZOWASCO.

Required materials (imaginary or physical):

Tap, plumbing materials and fittings.
Pipes.
Water meter.
Police uniform.
Money.

Important issues to consider (Frame of the sketch):

Two young men involved in the business of supplying plumbing materials to house developers.
Young men from the area have been “recruited” by a dishonest businessman, to steal plumbing materials. The system introduced by the 2 young businessmen is simple: the more materials you steal, the more money you get.
As a result of repeated acts of vandalism the compound is hit by a water shortage and the Kioskhas stopped working.
At the same time water is being wasted in the compound as pipes have been stolen.
The surroundings of the kiosks and the vandalised pipes have become dirty and muddy as a result of these leakages.
The affected community members find out about the scourge and manage to identify the households keeping the culprits. The young men and the businessman are arrested.
The community, together with the local administration calls for a meeting in order to discuss ways and means of preventing vandalism and taking appropriate measures if acts of vandalism occur (identifying and arresting thieves).
The community assigns tasks to the local administration and other residents in order to make the kiosk system sustainable.

Duration of the sketch: approximately 10 minutes.

2.9Activity 8: Address Concerning the Functioning of the Kiosk System

This is an important element of the water show and the following issues will have to be given special attention:

The tariff and the use of awkward containers.
Customer can fill their containers to the rim (or not?).
The main elements of the Customer – Operator payment system.
Opening and closing hours of the kiosk: An agreement between operators and their customers.
Customers do not have to pay for the small quantities of water they use to clean their containers.
Customers and other residents have the right to drink water at the kiosk using the cup supplied by the service provider.

3Formal Group Discussions

In addition to the water shows, the Taskforce should also organise and conduct a number of formal group discussions with residents of the project areas. The potential participants should be informed and invited in (one or 2 days) advance by the Taskforce.

At least one group discussion should be held in each kiosk catchment area.

The objectives of the group discussion are:

To have a real discussion with the residents, allowing them to ask as many questions as they want.
To have within the communities a large number of people who are very well informed on the kiosk system and who understand in detail the objectives social, public health, technical and commercial objectives the service provider wants to achieve with the kiosk system.

Coverage: The group discussions are supposed to attract much smaller audiences (between 20 and 50 participants) as compared to the water shows.