The number people practicing open defecation in India is more than 600 million. Though the access to improved sanitation has increased since 2000 the pace of change has been slow. If the current trend continues then it will be difficult for the country to meet its Millenium Development Goal for sanitation. Thus accelerating access to and use of toilets and hygiene practices have become a national priority.

In the backdrop of this the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) alongwith UNICEF and other partners have developed the National Sanitation and HygieneAdvocacy and Communication Strategy Framework for 2012-2017. The overall goal isto make sure that people have access to, and use a toilet and practice good hygiene,including handwashing with soap after the toilet and before food.

The advocacy and communication strategy focuses on four critical sanitation and hygiene behaviours:

1. Building and use of toilets
2. The safe disposal of child faeces
3. Handwashing with soap after defecation, before food and after handling child faeces
4. Safe storage and handling of drinking water

This framework document is developed through a consultative process, to guide the execution of advocacy and communication efforts related to toilet construction and use and key critical sanitation and hygiene behaviours at the national, state and district level.

This document is divided into four main sections:

• Why a sanitation and hygiene advocacy and communication strategy framework
• What is the focus of the sanitation and hygiene advocacy and communication strategy framework
• How to implement the sanitation and hygiene advocacy and communication strategy framework
• Monitoring and evaluation framework