Welcome to HVWSHE

Promoting Human Values-Based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education in Southeast Asia

Over the past decade, we have seen increasing concern for environment and social issues. Some disquiet over global climate change is being felt beyond the academic and scientific discussions. The balance between economic growth and environmental concerns – and the host of social issues aligned with them – are moving up the public agenda. Being an intrinsic part of the biosphere, concern for water and the world’s water resources is coming to the fore.

Southeast Asia is blessed with abundant water resources. Civilizations that gave birth to the present nations thrived on river deltas and shores. Water is one of the many factors that spur economic growth in the region –agriculture, industry, commerce and trade are all linked to water and communities. To nearly half a billion Southeast Asians living in one of the most dynamic economic blocs today, rapid economic growth, urbanization and changing consumption patterns put enormous pressure on water and other natural resources.

Increasing urbanization also puts greater health risks among the urban poor due to lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene. There is growing recognition that improvements in water management cannot be accomplished by technical or regulatory measures alone. Water, sanitation and hygiene education can play a strategic role for fundamental change in behaviour, personal attitudes and the underlying values. Children and youth could be the best change agents towards a sustainable water use ethic.

Towards this end, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the United Nations Programme on Human Settlements (UN HABITAT) have joined hands to promote human values-based water, sanitation and hygiene education among the schools in Southeast Asia. Through the joint project, both institutions bring together their resources, expertise and networks to introduce a sustainable water use ethic to the young Southeast Asians.

Human Values-based Water Sanitation and Hygiene Education (HVWSHE) is an innovative approach that not only imparts knowledge on water, sanitation and hygiene but also inspires and motivates learners to change their behaviour towards wise and sustainable use of water.

The concept was first introduced by UN HABITAT among the countries in Africa under the “Water for African Cities Programme” implemented by the agency. Amidst the complex issues of water supply, distribution and management in African cities, HVWSHE has proven to be an effective approach for developing awareness and positive attitudes towards sustainable water use and development.

Experience has shown that the HVWSHE approach has many advantages, among which are:

HVWSHE can be integrated with ease to the existing curriculum
it creates a lasting impact through character development, when understood, appreciated and practiced by children and young adults; and finally,
it is a proven approach practiced world-wide, ell documented and evaluated by experts.

As part of a broader programme for development of urban environments, HVWSHE is being implemented in tandem with promoting investments for safe water and sanitation in schools and learning centres. Hopefully, these can lead to community-wide action. All too often schools lack these essential services which should lead children to learn and practice hygiene and sanitation.

The Water for Asian Cities (WAC) Programme brings together the UN-HABITAT, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the countries in the region to work towards fulfilling water and sanitation-related Millennium Development Goals and targets (MDGs) in Asian cities. Among its core concerns are promoting pro-poor governance, water demand management, increased attention to environmental sanitation and income generation for the poor linked to water supply and sanitation. The programme seeks to achieve this by mobilizing political will, raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; by promoting new investments in the urban water and sanitation sector; and by systematic monitoring of progress towards MDGs.

Among the programme’s thematic priorities is creating a new ethic amongst children and communities through HVWSHE. Interventions include: capacity-building for value-based water education in schools; establishing water education classrooms in pilot cities; community water education. Twinning of cities and schools will be part of this initiative.

The UN HABITAT International Expert Group recommended pursuing a human values-based approach for introducing water, sanitation and hygiene education in May 2001. A values-based water education programme has been implemented by UN HABITAT in Africa over the past three years.

In December 2003, Values-based Water Education was introduced to the representatives of the Ministries of Education in Southeast Asia during a Consultative Workshop on Values-Based Water Education convened by SEAMEO and UN HABITAT in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank.

The Consultations led to the formulation of the Ministerial Declaration on HVWSHE for adoption by the SEAMEO Council during the 39th SEAMEC in Brunei Darussalam in March 2004.

We recognize values-base water education as an innovative approach that not only seeks to impart information on water, sanitation and hygiene but also inspires and motivates learners to change their behaviour with a view to promote wise and sustainable use of water and sanitation. Improvements in water management cannot be accomplished by technical and regulatory measures alone. These could be complemented by advocacy, awareness and education initiatives.

SEAMEO and UN HABITAT jointly organized a Study Visit of Senior African Education Officials in Thailand in May 2004. The Senior Education Officials met and shared experiences and concerns with their Thai and other Southeast Asian Counterparts. The Africa-Asia Meet Forum was convened as part of the SEAMEO-UNESCO Education Congress. Some 60 participants attended the forum which principally covered HVWSHE experiences in Africa and possible implementation in Asia.

D. Cooperative Project on Promoting Human Values-based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education

Building on the strategies identified in the SEAMEO Declaration, both organizations established a Cooperation Agreement in November 2005 to jointly work on a project envisioned to demonstrate effective HVWSHE practices in Southeast Asia.

The project seeks develop the capacity among the Ministries of Education of SEAMEO to promote HVWSHE in Southeast Asian schools and ensure proper management of water and sanitation (WatSan) facilities in schools.

SEAMEO Centres and the Regional TROPMED Network are the principal project implementers coordinated by the SEAMEO Secretariat.

The project addresses core concerns dealing with water and sanitation in Southeast Asian schools. On the supply side, there is limited information on the state of water and sanitation in the schools. Often, investment programmes overlook such basic needs as water and sanitation amidst many competing needs.

On the demand side, we envisage learners who will develop a new ethic for the sustainable use of water resources, even as they learn the value of water as a natural resource and from the standpoint of health, hygiene, and sanitation. The project thus works towards developing capacity in the Ministries of Education in integrating HVWSHE in the primary and secondary school lessons.

On one track is the Development of an Assessment Protocol on Water and Sanitation Facilities in Schools. Teaching water and inculcating human values need to be supported with the supply of water and improvement of sanitation facilities. To support the school improvement initiatives, an assessment is being done to know the state of water and sanitation facilities in schools. On one hand, the survey is meant to highlight the need for safe water supply and sanitation facilities in schools among school officials and policymakers. The instrument for making such an assessment for use in all schools in the region has been developed and being field tested.

Improving school water and sanitation facilities would not only have desirable impact on the health and hygiene status of students. Improved sanitation and safe water supply could very well motivate the community to work towards installing the necessary facilities for the community.

Data obtained from the field assessment would be developed into a national and regional database on school water and sanitation facilities in the region. This will serve as a milepost in achieving full access of schoolchildren to safe water and sanitation facilities. The data, regularly updated, would also highlight water and sanitation facilities in schools among planners and policymakers.

HVWSHE is a relative new and innovative concept. Thus, the other major concern in the project is to build capacity in the Ministries of Education of SEAMEO Countries to effectively integrate HVWSHE in lessons demonstrate practices and attitude change among learners.

The project focuses on integration, amongst many strategies and approaches of HVWSHE, because of the diversity of the curricula, needs and priorities of the different countries in the region. Through integration, the human values and water lessons can be effectively moved to the learners through the different subject areas.

identifying the materials and the lessons where human values and water can be integrated,
developing materials and knowledge resources for use of teachers and students, and
training teachers and instructional leaders in the techniques of integration and principles of HVWSHE. Assessment methods are also discussed with teachers in order to develop appropriate techniques to measure learning of values.

The knowledge resources and lessons will be initially tried out in schools that are part of the SEAMEO Regional Coalition of Quality and Equity in Education (QEE) Schools. The Regional QEE Coalition of Schools, launched in 2002, comprises some 30 primary and secondary schools all over Southeast Asia that embrace continuing improvement learning quality and promoting equity of access among learners in the communities they serve. The schools are not necessarily showcase schools but are meant to undertake continuing quality improvement.

Having adopted a broader concept of quality in education, the QEE schools will be strengthened to serve as the knowledge resource for HVWSHE and help promote the concept and practice in their respective countries.
Monitoring and evaluation are integral components of the project. The experiences gained, problems encountered and the practices that worked in various contexts will be complied into a toolkit for promoting HVWSHE in Asia. This is meant to enrich the growing knowledge base on HVWSHE as applied in various regions.

Over the two-year implementation period, the project will demonstrate effective application of HVWSHE in schools and assist MOEs in ensuring effective management of water and sanitation facilities in schools. The following are expected to be accomplished:

Developing competencies of teachers in selected Southeast Asian schools in integrating HVWSHE in their lessons, effective use of resource materials and in assessing knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour change among students;
Developing prototype teaching/learning materials, lesson plans, activity guides, among others, on HVWSHE appropriate in the SEA context;
Documenting experiences, lessons learned on effective practices in introducing HVWSHE in schools;
Developing a common WatSan facilities assessment protocol for use by the MOEs; and
Developing a resource package/toolkit on HVWSHE for project officers of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

1. Regional Planning Workshop on Promoting Human Values in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education in Cha-Am, Phetchaburi, Thailand on 21 to 24 November 2005.

The three-day regional planning workshop re-acquainted education officials with the concept of HVWSHE, identified strategies for effective dissemination and planned the succeeding project activities. An initial draft of the Assessment Protocol on the water and sanitation facilities in Southeast Asian schools was developed by the workshop participants. The draft has been refined by the SEAMEO TROPMED Network prior to field testing.

The workshop also reviewed the primary and secondary school curricula in the SEAMEO countries with a view to identifying entry points for integrating HVWSHE. The workshop also recommended the materials that would be developed, building on the materials used in Africa. Further revisions were suggested to make the sample material appropriate for the Southeast Asian context.

Field testing of the Assessment Protocol is being done in eight SEAMEO Member Countries. The draft protocol has been translated in Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese and tried out in selected schools in the SEAMEO countries.

2. Regional Workshop on Developing Teaching and Learning Materials for Integrating HVWSHE held at SEAMEO Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH), Quezon City, The Philippines on 29 November to 01 December 2006.

The workshop reviewed existing materials and developed exemplars integrating HVWSHE in core learning areas; an initial draft of the teaching material for the project was developed.

3. Materials Review Meeting being organized by SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre (SEAMOLEC) in Jakarta, Indonesia in 31 January to 2 February 2007.

The review meeting follows- through and builds on the initial outputs of the Materials Development Workshop. The teaching/learning materials and sample lesson plans drafted during the Workshop were further revised and the team met again to collectively review the materials.

1. Development of a Regional Database on Water and Sanitation Facilities in Schools.

The data collected from the field trial of the Assessment Protocol will be used to develop national and regional databases on water and sanitation facilities in schools. The database is expected to provide information for policy advocacy and to help in promoting future investment in water and sanitation facilities in schools.

2. Training of Trainers on Integration of Human Values in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education being organized by the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (RECSAM) in Penang, Malaysia to be held on 16 to 24 May 2007.

The initial group of Teacher Trainers from participating SEAMEO Member Countries will be trained on integrating human values and water in the various lessons. The participants in the course represent the QEE schools in their respective countries which will in turn serve as knowledge resources for HVWSHE in the country. The materials developed for dissemination will be tried out during the training course.

Within the QEE framework, the Teacher Trainers who underwent the SEAMEO RECSAM course will be the principal resource persons for training teachers in their own countries on integration of HVWSHE in their lessons. The QEE schools will later serve as the national knowledge resource centres for HVWSHE.

The SEAMEO-UN HABITAT cooperation to promote HVWSHE in Southeast Asia has gone a long way since that initial introduction in 2003. Our advocacy reaches out to practically several levels of audiences – the policy makers, those who make investment decisions, the schools and their leaders, teachers, students and young people and the communities served by the schools.

Like a well-cut diamond, the project shows something new and different when each facet is highlighted:

As an education project, it highlights knowledge and changing attitudes on water as a resource and as an essential part of our environment
As a project that relates to water supply and sanitation in schools, it highlights the needs, policies and investment decisions that leaders need to make to reach the goal of providing safe water supply and improved sanitation for all. The project also helps focus the community’s effort in securing safe water supply and improved sanitation
As a water project, it underlines the relationship between the water utilities companies, the communities they serve and how they can work together towards efficiently using scarce water resources and preserving the environment
As an effort involving human values, it reaches into the human heart and mind to guide us in making better choices on using water, mastering ourselves and enhancing human dignity, how we relate to fellow human beings, and how we relate to our world.

The SEAMEO – UN HABITAT cooperation flows into all these and more - all in a drop of water.