What does it mean to work? A study of Health Development Committees and Community engagement in WASH interventions in rural Sierra Leone
Authors
Jakovlev, Aleksandr ; Garbutt, George Michael
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Pages
112
Abstract
Dette techno-antropologiske studie undersøger arbejdet i Health Development Committees (HDC’er) og lokalsamfunds engagement i vand-, sanitet- og hygiejneindsatser (WASH) i landdistrikter i Kenema, Sierra Leone. Med afsæt i et igangværende program gennemført af Engineers Without Borders Denmark og Sierra Leone udforsker projektet, hvad der kan gøre HDC’ers arbejde stærkt eller svagt. Metodisk bygger studiet på casestudier inspireret af Actor-Network Theory og care-full research og anvender etnografiske interviews og observationer under en måneds feltarbejde (marts 2016) i samarbejde med EWB-SL’s Community Mobilizers samt besøg hos flere af de 21 deltagende lokalsamfund og centrale aktører som Kenema District Council og Ministry of Water Resources. Analysen beskriver arbejdet i og omkring HDC’er, community mobilisering, pumper, vandkvalitetstest og politik for at kortlægge, hvordan menneskelige og ikke-menneskelige aktører samles om WASH-praksisser som brønde, håndpumper, CLTS og hygiejne- og vedligeholdelsestræning. Fundene peger på, at arbejde i ét led former arbejdet i andre, at forskellige former for arbejde synliggør hinanden, og at HDC-præstationer beror på, hvordan mange typer arbejde kobles sammen på tværs af aktører. Projektets produkt er et kort over praksisser, der kan bruges til at navigere og (om)arrangere arbejdspraksisser og understøtte samarbejde mellem HDC’er, NGO’er, lokale myndigheder og forskere. Studiet søger dermed at nuancere udviklingspraksis omkring lokalt ejerskab og bæredygtige WASH-indsatser.
This techno-anthropological study examines the work of Health Development Committees (HDCs) and community engagement in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions in rural Kenema, Sierra Leone. Embedded in an ongoing program led by Engineers Without Borders Denmark and Sierra Leone, the project explores what might make HDC work appear strong or weak. Methodologically, it adopts case-based inquiry inspired by Actor-Network Theory and care-full research, using ethnographic interviews and observations during one month of fieldwork (March 2016) conducted with EWB-SL Community Mobilizers, visits to several of the 21 participating communities, and engagements with stakeholders such as the Kenema District Council and the Ministry of Water Resources. The analysis describes the work of HDCs, community mobilizers, pumps, water-quality testing, and policy, mapping how human and non-human actors assemble around practices such as wells, hand pumps, CLTS, and hygiene and maintenance training. Findings suggest that work done in one location shapes work elsewhere, that different kinds of work render each other visible, and that HDC performance depends on how multiple forms of work are connected across actors. The main output is a map of practices to help navigate and (re)arrange work, implying the need for coordinated efforts among HDCs, NGOs, local government, and researchers. The study contributes to development debates on community ownership and the sustainability of WASH interventions.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
Keywords
ANT ; Ethnography ; WASH ; Sierra Leone ; Africa
Documents
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Jakovlev, Aleksandr:
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