Summary

In this Study Session, you have learned that:

• Community engagement is a process of working with a community to address issues affecting their well-being, involving them in problem-solving or decision-making activities. Urban communities are diverse, which creates challenges for community engagement in the urban WASH sector.
• The purpose of community engagement in WASH is to improve the success and sustainability of WASH projects, and thereby promote the health and well-being of the community.
• There are several guiding principles for community engagement that emphasise the need for an open process that includes all members of the community.
• There are different levels of community engagement from simply sharing information through to community-directed projects.
• The appropriate method of community engagement varies for different situations. All methods depend on providing clear and relevant information at the start.
• Schools and WASH clubs are important agents for change in WASH.
• Community engagement presents many challenges, both to the community and to the practitioner trying to promote it.