Strengthening WASH Practices and Hygiene Behavioral Change in the Pacific

ADB’s Pacific Department is processing a regional knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) which 
aims to strengthen Pacific developing member countries’ (DMCs) capacity to prevent disease transmission 
through enhanced water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices and the associated enabling environment. 
Interventions will directly address the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic by (i) improving WASH 
practices through behavioral change campaigns; and (ii) strengthening the capacity of WASH service 
providers and other stakeholders so that WASH improvements will be sustained and expanded. The initial 
assignment of the Team Leader (WASH Advisor) will require around 3-4 months inputs with the potential to 
extend to 20 months depending on performance.

ADB proposes that the TA work with governments and stakeholders in Pacific DMCs to identify the most 
vulnerable groups and highest-risk schools, markets, health clinics, or other public places. The WASH 
and behavior change campaign will be designed to meet the needs of women, children, girls, and elderly 
people. The TA will also address the enabling environment of WASH services, and bring water utilities 
and other agencies with a hygiene mandate into the WASH clusters. Water utilities are expected to be 
active players in WASH campaigns in urban centers, following their mandate to improve water supply 
and/or sanitation services coverage. They will require support for WASH campaign targets in areas 
including willingness to pay, workplace safety and health, water conservation, and financial 
sustainability, which will facilitate the expansion of their core business, particularly as they face 
challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The TA will ensure the sustainability of the WASH 
interventions by (i) aligning and collaborating with existing WASH-related infrastructure projects by 
ADB and other donors and development partners, (ii) building consensus among decision makers on the need 
to prioritize WASH interventions and support WASH improvements, and (iii) supporting longer-term WASH 
service investment and financial sustainability with support for infrastructure and services planning to 
expand WASH activities. The project team will identify and develop further measures to overcome barriers 
to improving WASH campaigns throughout TA implementation.

ADB plans to recruit several consultants under the TA, including an international WASH advisor (who will 
lead the overall TA activities and ensure quality), an international utility advisor, and several 
national WASH consultants who will form the local WASH project implementation unit (PIU) in several 
Pacific DMCs. Counterparts will include government agencies with a mandate related to WASH (e.g. 
Ministries of Health, environment, water and state owned enterprises), water utilities, other WASH 
sector service providers (where applicable) and/or the WASH cluster, which will act as the in-country 
project coordination unit (PCU).

The WASH advisor will lead and coordinate all consultants and TA activities as the team leader to ensure 
that project targets are met. The WASH advisor’s role will be to (i) provide strategic direction to 
overall TA activities in close consultation with ADB project officer and country focals, (ii) play an 
advocacy role through targeted campaigns to accelerate Pacific DMC government efforts to improve WASH 
services in light of the current crisis, and (iii) provide ongoing monitoring, support and advice for in-
country teams and activities to help ensure quality and impact. The WASH Advisor will develop templates 
and systems to carry out the required tasks across the DMCs effectively and systematically, while 
allowing for context specific approaches and plans to be implemented.

To achieve the activities listed in the draft TA Report, the specific tasks and priorities of the WASH 
advisor include: 

(i) Rapid WASH needs assessment. Designing and leading country-specific rapid WASH needs assessments to 
identify (a) key WASH players, (b) policy, regulatory, institutional and service delivery bottlenecks in 
the sector for building resilience to pandemics and ensuring adequate public hygiene, (c) groups and 
public areas most vulnerable to the pandemic and other WASH related diseases and specify their WASH gaps 
against the WHO guidance notes; (d) synergies or required coordination with ongoing or planned WASH 
services-related projects; (e) lessons learned from previous WASH campaigns; (f) geographic priorities 
and requests from the government and agencies; (g) specific opportunities for support under the TA, and 
(h) implementation risks and mitigation measures. The advisor shall consult ADB, key agencies, WASH 
clusters, WHO and UNICEF representatives. The international water utility expert will work closely with 
the Team Leader and will provide inputs to the rapid needs assessment focusing on governance aspects 
surrounding WASH service provision, institutional arrangements, capacity of service providers, financing 
and barriers and enablers to improved service delivery. The rapid needs assessment is expected to be 
desk-based noting current travel restrictions. ADB country focals and project coordination unit (PCU) in 
each country will provide support for coordination where needed.

(ii) Designing country-specific WASH (outline) campaigns. Based on the findings of the rapid needs 
assessments, confirmation of participation in the TA by governments, and assessment of government 
requests, the WASH Advisor will make his/her recommendations on the interventions, and seek consensus to 
finalize the WASH campaign proposals in each country. The advisor will develop a broad menu of options 
across the countries in line with the TA Report targets, and then recommend the specific activities that 
will form part of each country specific WASH campaign. The country campaign outlines will include: (a) 
key objectives and scope, (b) key activities, (c) role of stakeholders (including the utility), and (d) 
estimated costs of the campaign, including materials. High impact activities with benefits for 
vulnerable peoples (alone or in combination with other activities) and those with high likelihood of 
success, ownership, demonstration impact and sustainability should be prioritized.  Synergies with other 
projects shall also be identified. The campaigns should also include (a) number of estimated 
beneficiaries at household level and in key public areas (schools, markets and health clinics) by 
activity, (b) terms of reference of national consultants required to implement the campaigns as the PIU 
(sample TOR in the TA Report); (c) list and cost estimate of goods and materials (such as hand 
sanitizer, soap, handwashing facilities, PPEs, water fixtures, etc) to be procured and potential local 
suppliers (inputs will also be provided by the utility advisor and integrated into the plan) and (d) 
procurement and distribution strategy. The Advisor will also identify potential candidates to apply for 
positions as resource persons (e.g. to provide short-term inputs to support campaign and TA activities), 
and prepare related TORs.

(iii) Supporting establishment and operations of PIUs. Once national consultants are mobilized, the 
advisor will provide guidance to the PIUs in terms of their (a) establishment, structure and functions, 
(b) stakeholder engagement strategy, (c) their development of a more detailed implementation plan for 
the campaign, and (d) advice for resolution of issues or necessary adjustments to the campaigns during 
implementation. The advisor shall review the documents produced by the PIUs and provide guidance on 
designing effective WASH communications and behavior change campaigns.

(iv) Advocacy and advisory role. The advisor will play a key role in advocating for more accelerated, 
impactful and sustainable WASH interventions in the region, with the aim that DMC decision makers 
prioritize resources for the WASH sector to increase access, particularly for vulnerable and 
marginalized populations, and improve service quality. Depending on demand from the government, together 
with the utility advisor, the WASH advisor will provide support to government to strengthen WASH related 
policy or regulations to build the utility’s capacity to respond during pandemics and to increase its 
contribution to improved public hygiene. The WASH advisor/Team Leader will work closely with the utility 
advisor to assess key WASH service providers’ capacity and performance, including finding the gaps or 
weaknesses in their capacity to respond to outbreaks of disease and identifying opportunities for future 
engagement and investment. 

(v) Evidence based hygiene behavior change and review.  The advisor should help to develop the evidence-
based hygiene behavior change activities to ensure the sustainability. The advisor should lead the 
review when one round of the campaign completes in on country, focusing the lessons learnt and if there 
is potential to expand the campaign based on the ownership of the WASH PIU and the government’s 
willingness.   

(vi) Knowledge production. In consultation with ADB, facilitate the preparation of knowledge products on 
topics relevant to the TA, and preparing or reviewing knowledge products; and preparing a standalone 
knowledge product covering 3-4 DMCs with key lessons learned in TA implementation and recommendations.

(vii) Monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The WASH Advisor will use the TA’s design and monitoring 
framework to inform the required data collection and reporting, and ensure that proper records are kept 
to facilitate monitoring and evaluation and drafting of the technical assistance completion report. 
He/she will draft a baseline and endline survey for PIUs to measure results (the practicality of 
conducting surveys will be discussed further with ADB and counterparts during implementation). The 
advisor will prepare monthly reports for ADB which track the progress of all targets under the TA, 
include an action plan for the next 3 months and describe the key challenges faced and solutions 
proposed. The WASH Advisor will coordinate regularly with other consultants engaged under the TA. The 
final report will include recommendations for future ADB engagement and investment in the participating 
DMCs.

(viii) Other inputs as discussed and agreed with ADB during implementation. 

The WASH advisor will have at least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, and at least 10 years’ 
experience in WASH sector assessment and policy support and experience leading hygiene behavior change 
campaigns, preferably with some experience in small island developing states (SIDS). Desirable 
experience includes that related to community outreach (ideally in WASH), improving services for the 
poor, working on projects with water supply and sanitation utilities and strategic advice at a senior 
management level. The consultant must have a strong knowledge of institutional frameworks which guide 
utility operations. Excellent communication, facilitation, writing and leadership skills are essential.