Max Foundation innovations as local government 'Best Practices'

A celebratory moment for Max Foundation! The National Institute for Local Government under the Ministry of Local Government  published this Best Practices compendium on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and featured 10 practices designed and implemented by Max Foundation Bangladesh.

The selection of our innovations as Best Practices was done as part of the Horizontal Learning Program which aims to strengthen the capacity of local government institutions throughout Bangladesh.

The local government taking up these innovations in their compendium confirms the effectiveness of our work in Bangladesh, and shows that our early engagement with the local government can create long-lasting change and impact on a larger scale: through the Horizontal Learning Programme, this compendium will be shared with and adopted by other local governments in Bangladesh.

Of the total twelve Best Practices selected, the ten below are innovations from Max Foundation:

• Healthy Village: universal access to safely managed WASH services as well as education, health and nutrition services.
• Community Child Growth Monitoring: promoting a collective realization of the differing causes and consequences of acute and chronic undernutrition.
• Clustered Piped Water Supply: making safe, reliable, proximate drinking water available within rural households 24/7.
• Bathing Chambers: enables privacy for bathing and menstrual hygiene management (especially when coupled with piped water supply)
• Maxi-Basin: a handwashing device connected to drainage systems that enable handwashing proximate to kitchens, dining areas, and toilets (and reduce the workload when coupled with piped water supply).
• Twelve-step Latrine: enabling the latrine to be located in very near proximity, or even within the house.
• Septic pit system: offering a low-cost alternative to a septic tank and soak away to accommodate the additional wastewater from bathing chambers and hand washing stations.
• Fecal Sludge Management: through the provision of training and equipment to sweepers to safely empty, transport, and bury the fecal sludge from direct and offset pit latrines.
• School handwashing Facility: encouraging large group of students to simultaneously practice correct handwashing procedures.
• School Menstrual Pit: providing adolescent girls the opportunity to dispose of their menstrual pads while attending school when they have their periods.

The appreciation of our innovations by the Ministry of Local Government showcases the importance of advocacy & engagement as a pillar of our work. By sharing the evidence on the impact of our approach with the right stakeholders, we can scale action on undernutrition and WASH.

This adoption of our best practices on a government level accelerates reaching our main goal: a healthy start for every child!