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This handbook provides practical guidelines for evaluating water-and sanitation-related hygiene practices. Designed to make qualitative research skills accessible to practitioners with little or no previous training in social sciences, the book describes methods of gathering, reviewing and interpreting qualitative information, by using a variety of sources and methods to produce effective, reliable and trustworthy data. Using case studies from Africa and Asia involving field personnel working in water supply, sanitation and health/hygiene education projects, the handbook was developed as a practical answer to the limitations of using a single method or instrument for information gathering. Alternatives to questionnaires are proposed, including a variety of methods and tools that can be mixed and matched; appraisals of individual methods and tools to help in the selection of the most appropriate combinations for the desired purpose; and a useful selection of common mistakes and pitfalls. This work has been endorsed by UNICEF which is supporting its dissemination. Those working in the water supply, sanitation and hygiene education sectors should find the practical guidelines outlined in this handbook useful. At the same time, it can be applied to wider areas, such as assessments of health practices and health promotion, in both developing and developed countries. The approaches and methods described are transferable to any discipline which requires qualitative assessment from social and cultural perspectives.
