Training on Community-Led Total Sanitation(CLTS) Facilitation and ODF Community Transformation

Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a participatory approach that empowers communities to collectively eliminate open defecation and improve hygiene practices. By fostering behavior change through community engagement rather than subsidies, CLTS promotes sustainable sanitation outcomes and strengthens public health.

This 5-day intensive course equips participants with the facilitation skills, practical tools, and strategies needed to implement CLTS effectively. Participants will learn how to trigger community action, guide behavior change, monitor progress toward Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, and ensure long-term sanitation transformation.

Key topics include participatory facilitation techniques, community triggering methods, hygiene behavior change communication, monitoring and verification of ODF status, culturally sensitive engagement strategies, and sustaining community-led sanitation initiatives. Emphasis is placed on inclusivity, empowerment, and the use of real-world case studies to reinforce learning.

By the end of the program, participants will be able to facilitate CLTS processes, lead communities toward achieving ODF status, support hygiene and sanitation behavior change, and monitor and sustain community-driven sanitation improvements.

Duration

5 Days

Who Should Attend

• WASH Field Officers and Program Managers
• Community Development Facilitators
• Public Health Officers and Extension Workers
• NGO and Government Sanitation Stakeholders
• Community Leaders and Health Promoters

Organizational Impact

• Enhances sanitation program effectiveness and sustainability through a low-cost, community-driven approach.

• Reduces reliance on subsidies and in-kind donations, improving resource allocation.

• Strengthens reputation as a leader in sustainable, community-led development.

Personal Impact

• Develops in-demand skills for careers in development and public health.

• Supports advancement into senior program design, leadership, or advisory roles.

• Equips participants to lead and champion community-focused sanitation initiatives.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Understand the CLTS approach and its global implementation frameworks

• Apply participatory facilitation skills to trigger and guide communities

• Develop action plans to support ODF transformation

• Monitor, evaluate, and verify community progress

• Promote long-term hygiene behavior change and social accountability

Module 1: Introduction to CLTS Principles and Practice

• Origins and key concepts of CLTS

• Sanitation and hygiene challenges in ODF-target regions

• Understanding the ODF journey: pre-triggering, triggering, post-triggering

• Role of facilitators in community mobilization

Module 2: Facilitation Skills for Community Engagement

• Principles of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in sanitation

• Tools and methods for community sanitation mapping

• Triggering tools: shame, disgust, and collective pride

• Managing resistance and building inclusive dialogue

Module 3: Designing and Supporting ODF Action Plans

• CLTS process flow: household-level and community-level actions

• Identifying natural leaders and sanitation champions

• Integrating hygiene messaging with community-led action

• Real-life simulation: Facilitating a mock CLTS triggering session

Module 4: Monitoring, Verification, and Certification of ODF Status

• Monitoring community progress toward ODF

• Verification tools and third-party validation procedures

• Post-ODF sustainability: follow-up and behavior reinforcement

• Integrating data collection tools (paper-based, digital, mobile apps)

Module 5: Scaling Up CLTS and Strengthening Hygiene Behavior Change

• Case studies: successful ODF transformation in Africa

• Linking CLTS to school sanitation and vulnerable groups

• Social norms and behavior change communication (BCC)

• Developing local government and institutional support for scaling CLTS