02 WASH Empowerment Programme

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene underpin a healthy village existence throughout Papua New Guinea. The WASH Empowerment Programme aims to build upon existing community knowledge to further skills and awareness of health, hygiene and sanitation. We also seek to empower local pioneers to continue strengthening health, hygiene and sanitation into the future, long after the completion of a Sago Network programme.

Programme Modules

Sago Network has developed a comprehensive WASH programme that integrates participatory education, awareness, practical workshops, material distribution and Community Action Participation (CAP) training. The programme consists of core modules, each targeting specific WASH areas, with the goal of fostering community-led approaches to enhance WASH and health standards while promoting local ownership within villages. The programme is most successful when long-term trusting relationships are established with communities, enabling multiple visits by WASH Officers over time to deliver new modules and build upon previous achievements. The core modules in the programme include:

Module 1: Community Engagement & Data Collection

Module 2: Hygiene

Module 3: WASH for Kids

Module 4: Community Action and Participation (CAP)

Module 5: Environmental Health and Hygiene

Module 6: Drinking Water

Module 7: WASH FIT

Module 8: Gendered Hygiene (Menstrual Hygiene Management)

Module 9: WASH for Youth

Module 10: Sanitation

The programme is effective because of the evidenced based community centred approach taken to deliver WASH and community development work, as well as the long term committed relationship offered to villages who engage with the programme. With over 15 years of experience, Sago Network has witnessed the transformative power of this holistic approach, which yields sustainable positive impacts for communities, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring long-lasting improvements in WASH and community health.