Improved Targets, Indicators, Monitoring and Evaluation for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
USAID works in close collaboration with partners to improve the validity and reliability of existing water, sanitation, and hygiene (hygiene improvement) indicators and data collection methods and the development of new indicators and methods where necessary. Key partners include the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Water and Environmental Health at London and Loughborough (DFID), Macro International Inc., the World Bank, MEASURE DHS, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private voluntary organizations (PVOs).
This activity is implemented at three levels - international, program and community:
- At the international level, USAID focuses on international consensus building for key hygiene improvement indicators and data collection methods, especially for measuring the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Target 10 related to water supply and sanitation.
Over the past three decades USAID has made substantial investments in measuring achievements in maternal and child health. The Agency relies mostly on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) because of the high quality of data provided and the regular and consistent application in a large number of countries. Early on the focus was on fertility and contraceptive prevalence and on child morbidity and mortality, including nutritional status. Over the years indicators for certain areas have expanded. For example, child feeding, case management and others such as HIV/AIDS and malaria have been added. The DHS documents how countries have improved in critical public health areas and helps countries and donors to make important strategic decisions about programmatic directions in the public health sector. DHS surveys are also a primary source, together with UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), for assessing the status of key indicators at global and regional levels - such as water and sanitation coverage, which is done by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). The adoption of Millennium Development Goals by the international community has increased the need for a harmonized approach to global level monitoring, which has become the responsibility of the JMP.
- At the program level, USAID aims to improve the ability of program managers to systematically monitor the effectiveness of interventions related to water, sanitation and hygiene for programmatic decision making in water and sanitation programs as well as health and child survival programs.
While DHS and MICS are useful tools for global monitoring of water supply and sanitation, programs require more detailed information. To make informed programmatic decisions separate survey instruments and guidelines for program monitoring and evaluation are needed, for example, the Rapid Knowledge, Practices and Coverage (KPC) 2000+ Survey used by PVO members of the CORE Group and the Environmental Health Project's (EHP) Assessing Hygiene Improvement Guidelines. Three enabling factors facilitate program specific monitoring and evaluation: (1) program indicators and assessment instruments that are consistent with methodologies that serve as a reference standard such as DHS and MICS; (2) indicators and assessment instruments that are updated regularly to incorporate the latest field experiences and to respond to changing programmatic needs; and (3) use of a mix of quantitative and qualitative assessment tools that complement each other.
- At the community level, USAID supports the development of appropriate monitoring tools to improve communities’ abilities to identify problems and to increase community participation in planning and monitoring water, sanitation and hygiene activities.
Participatory and practical approaches to monitoring, which involve stakeholders, can offer several benefits that have been demonstrated in various projects. These benefits include reducing per capita costs and ensuring financial sustainability; better service levels, including repairs; improving access for groups in greatest need of improved water supply and sanitation; improved use and hygiene; and helping to ensure greater use of safe water. Much of the literature about participatory community monitoring has evolved from the Rapid Rural Appraisal literature.
Materials Related to Improved Targets, Indicators, Monitoring and Evaluation for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
International Level
Program Level
Community Level
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