Australian Development Research Award Scheme

Buy, give, take and share: WaSH marketing exchange in the South Pacific Dani Barrington, Srinivas Sridharan, Regina Souter, Stephen Saunders,

Semisi Meo, Kate Shields, Jamie Bartram

Work in partnership with impoverished peri-urban communities and local enabling actors to understand and help to foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) exchange systems can operate among Pacific island communities

Participatory Action Research

“PAR”

Research questions of this study

• How do current WaSH exchange systems function in peri-urban informal settlements in the South Pacific?

• What are the motivations of community members to engage in these?

WaSH exchange systems

1. Market based (price-mechanism)

2. Non-market based (often donation/subsidies based)

3. Command based (utility/government regulated)

4. Culturally determined (often community driven)

Market-based

Non-market-based

Command-based

Culturally-determined

Exchanges are of many types…WaSH marketing exchange Market Non-market Command Culturally determined

Purchase of water from privatised (government regulated) utility Y   Y  

Purchase of water from public utility     Y  

Purchase of water from tanker truck Y      

Donation of tanks/wells/bores by local politicians, CSOs, government   Y   Y

Selling of water from one household to another – for profit Y     Y

Selling of water from one household to another – only to cover bills       Y

Purchase of bottled water from local businesses Y      

Donation of bottled water from local businesses to their employees       Y

Sharing of water points (e.g. standpipes, springs, wells)       Y

Rainwater collection infrastructure parts collected from rubbish dump       Y

Sharing of toilets between households       Y

Open defecation       Y

Purchase of toilet or septic parts and/or construction of toilets and septic tanks by local businesses Y      

Purchase of toilet or septic parts and/or construction of toilets and septic tanks by local businesses – with arrangement of reduced fee for parts/labour Y Y   Y

Pumping of septic tanks and drums by local business Y      

Abandoning full septic drums and building new toilet Y     Y

Toilet parts collected from rubbish dump   Y   Y

Purchase of menstrual hygiene products from local businesses Y      

Production of menstrual hygiene products using materials purchased from local businesses Y     Y

Municipal rubbish collection     Y  

Burning of rubbish       Y

Disposal of rubbish and used menstrual hygiene products around settlement / in waterways       Y

Purchase of soap from private business Y      

Sharing of soap between households       Y

Exchanges are often hybridised…

Motivations differ for each exchange…

Socially relevant motivations

• “Locals promote solesolevaki (Fijian cultural practice)… all settlers are here due to livelihood-based reasons... a number of issues exist…but those that are here will need to improve their moral value of assisting the community…we need to work together.” (Community male)

• “I thought $10 that these 10 families pay each month will pay off my water bills. I want improve my own family’s wellbeing and also help the other family which is why I suggested $10 so that it will be fair for everyone.” (Community male, water on-seller)

So what?

• Market-based exchange is an existing part of WaSH exchange in peri-urban informal settlements

• There is scope to incorporate all forms of marketing exchange into WaSH interventions

• Considering which outcomes are of importance to a program, and the motivations of multiple different actors, may assist in identifying what sort of WaSH marketing exchanges should be fostered in the future.

Relevant publications

• Barrington, D.J., Sridharan, S., Saunders, S. G., Souter, R., Shields, K. F., Bartram, J., Kearton, A., Hughes, R. WaSH marketing exchanges in Melanesian peri-urban informal settlements. Habitat International (submitted)

• Sridharan, S., Barrington D. J., Saunders S. G. (2015), “Water exchange systems”, in Bartram, J., Baum, R., Coclanis, P. A., Gute, D. M., Kay, D., McFadyen, S., Pond, K., Roberston, W. & Rouse, M. J. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, Routledge, London and New York, 498-506

• Handout: http://www.watercentre.org/portfolio/attachments/faqs-understanding-exchange-systems-in-wash-marketing

• Dani.barrington@monash.edu