The Three Star Approach (TSA) for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools has been published in 2013 jointly by GIZ and UNICEF. The approach supports and facilitates a stepwise pathway for schools to gradually improve towards realizing national standards. A corresponding accreditation system recognizes their progress using a star system rating.
More than 40 countries have since committed to, adapted and contextualized the approach to suit their respective country contexts, challenges and school health situation and have implemented the TSA approach through corresponding specific WASH in Schools policies, incentives, implementing guidelines, monitoring systems, governance structures.
Building on our documentary research, questionnaires and interviews, our team has drafted a report focusing on commonalities across countries and possible experiences of transferring the TSA from Asian to African countries, with specific case studies of in-depth interviewed countries and country profiles. Unique examples are being highlighted.
Our team, together with staff and consultants working for UNICEF, analyses the commonalities in terms of success factors and challenges and formulates recommendations for the further development of the TSA and its future adaptation in other contexts. Special focus is being put on how pandemic preparedness can be included more systematically in TSA adaptations.
Our team is paying specific attention, in the form of dedicated sub-chapters, on how the approach is used and implemented in African countries, including an analysis of gaps and challenges with regard to adaptation and contextualization, in order to make pragmatic and implementable suggestions for (further) adaptation prior to implementation in selected countries (Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, South Sudan).
The comprehensive report will serve as the basis for a more condensed publication for public dissemination that our team will develop on the basisof comments from GIZ and UNICEF.
The finalized report will be presented in the form of a debriefing meeting with the GIZ Fit for School team, to which UNICEF colleagues will be invited, and in the form of a GIZ internal
debriefing for other interested organizational units. Furthermore, findings will be disseminated through a webinar via the Fit for School program partner organization SEAMEO´s network, inviting ministry partners and other development organizations. This webinar will also function as the official launch of the final report.
Furthermore, our team is compiling our findings, analyses and recommendations on TSA adaptations for the African context and will share their learnings in different learning exchange formats, primarily those brining togehter WASH in Schools stakeholders in Africa.
Added Value:
Our team closely cooperates with UNICEF. Beyond immediate practical needs, our team succeeded at harvesting additional potential in coordination, namely, to strengthen the collaboration between GIZ and UNICEF by creating spaces for discussions on TSA in different country contexts. Our team coordinates and facilitates discussions that pursue the goal of a shared critical analyses and a joint vision for the long-term support to Ministries of Education for an improvement of WinS programming and the integration of pandemic preparedness and response using TSA.
