UNICEF field notes on community approaches to total sanitation: Learning from five country programmes

Community Approaches to Total Sanitation (CATS) aim to achieve 100 per cent open defecation free (ODF) communities through affordable, appropriate technology and behaviour change. Eliminating open defecation involves three key components – demand creation, supply consideration, and strengthening the enabling environment. Successful implementation of Community Approaches to Total Sanitation leads communities to collectively abandon open defecation and create a new social norm of using toilets, reinforced by supply interventions and a supportive enabling environment. Thus, CATS programmes should take into account these three components as they develop their country-specific theory of change.

These field notes summarise the findings from five country programmes: Haiti, the Philippines, Mali, Zambia and Nepal.