Going to Scale

While individual hygiene, sanitation, and water in schools projects may demonstrate success in delivering sustainable services, they generally have a limited impact on improving hygiene, sanitation, and water in schools on a large scale. Expanding coverage so that every school has basic sustainable water, sanitation, and hand washing facilities in place will require these initiatives to be scaled up to the regional or national levelⁱ. In many cases, this will mean that government, communities, and schools must devote time and effort to capacity building and the use of participatory processes in the delivery of water and sanitation services and in hygiene education programs.

The following points are essential when going to scale:

Projects should prepare for scaling up by focusing on institutionalization. Forms of support such as training curricula are essential to institutionalization.
Projects should recognize that policy shapes project development. While certain projects must engage at the policy level more than others, and pilot projects can stimulate policy development, even government projects are vulnerable in a negative policy environment. Policy structures can support or derail project efforts. However, even without a supportive political environment, projects have been successful when an obvious impact could be shown and demand from the schools and/or communities stimulated politicians to change their opinions.
Activists and project planners should build on existing institutions and infrastructure when scaling up. NGOs can complement and reinforce government initiatives. Projects can take advantage of existing infrastructure by forming and deepening collaborations with partner organizations. Projects with strong ties at the local level are better able to survive change.
Committed leaders are needed to support, guide, and sponsor the scaling-up process. A successful scale-up effort requires a major commitment of time and energy on the part of leaders as well as a formal governance structure.
Project developers should anticipate and prepare for obstacles and challenges. The environment in which a project develops and the availability of resources may influence its shape and the effort to scale up. Project developers and policy advocates in particular need to be sensitive to these issues. This includes developing long-term financing strategies.
Data, research, and monitoring and evaluation systems are critical to scaling up effective projects, to show successes and lessons learned. Data and research are especially important for designing projects, scaling them up, carrying out advocacy, and securing acceptance and support for projects.

ⁱ Material in this section adapted from Skills for Health: Skills-based Health Education Including Life Skills: An Important Component of a Child-Friendly/Health-Promoting School, The World Health Organization's Information Series on School Health, Document 9 (WHO 2003).

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