Health education in Burundi: peer education in practice

Because almost half of the patients diagnosed in health centers in Burundi suffered from illnesses related to impure water or inadequate sanitation, the Hygiene Education and Training Programme was created to assure the efficient use of water and sanitation infrastructures by the population of Burundi. A specific organizational unit, linked to the ministry of Public Health was created to implement the programme. With the objective of changing non-hygienic behaviour related to water use and sanitation, hygiene education was carried out by field teams using interpersonal peer communication methods in people's homes during a series of education campaigns that each last three months. The programme was directed primarily to households composed of men, women and children, with particular attention given to women and children, who have the primary responsibility for household hygiene. A participatory approach was employed that used teams of volunteers chosen by and from the population, and who visited households twice during each campaign. Audiovisual materials and messages for each campaign were developed in collaboration with the population. The field teams were motivated by a regular programme of training, an intense support and monitoring system, and the availability of audiovisual materials for hygiene education, as well as a system of prizes that was added recently. After 18 months of experience, it is possible to say that the approach is both feasible and effective. The population reacted positively to the hygiene education that was offered and a degree of behaviour change was observed.