ODF Billboards: From Triggering to Informative

As I grow and evolve in the WASH sector, I realize that my perspective on what messages Open Defecation Free (ODF) billboards should convey has also gone through an evolution. Initially, I believed billboards should be triggering emotions for change as used in CLTS. However, I now argue that announcing information on the achievement by the community is a more effective approach as it attracts envy and admiration from communities that may not yet have achieved the feat.

Though CLTS encourages the use of "shame" or "social stigma" as a tool to promote behaviors, some WASH practitioners have documented practices that don't meet basic ethical standards and violate human rights. Some have even gone to the extent of questioning whether CLTS undermines individual human rights in the name of the common good. For example, April 2013 the was an outcry led by the then Eastern Province Permanent Secretary – Patrick Mwanawasa – over a billboard announcing the open defecation free (ODF) zones which was termed dehumanizing. The Permanent Secretary would then order all District Commissioners in Eastern Province to pull down the billboards in all the 15 districts. See the picture below for a similar message.

ODF billboards should convey information on the status of the community, highlighting progress made. This – I believe - fosters a sense of pride and responsibility among community members, encouraging them to sustain the ODF achievements. Thus, ODF billboards should be used to canvas support and promote a sense of pride for the locals for achieving the feat. For non-locals, they are for information dissemination and promotion of the achieved feat. ?All this, however, should be done respectfully within sociocultural acceptable norms to amplify the messages needed to achieve equitable and sustainable WASH for all. Alice Webb and the The Sanitation Learning Hub team will be running an online training on Using ethical images in the WASH sector which aims to equip individuals and organisations to take respectful and ethical photos. Since photos tell stories the same way billboards do, this is a great training on how to leverage on visuals to communicate about WASH issues.

In conclusion, my perspective on ODF billboards has shifted from blowing a battle horn to blowing victory horn. I am quite agnostic on what exactly is the right way of putting out the messaging on the billboard, however the message should be more biased towards announcing the positive achievement particularly the ODF attainments and its sustainability. Announcing achievements establishes a positive tone and rapport with the reader. It is positive reinforcement which should not have vagueness and shades of meaning.