Successes, challenges, and support for men versus women implementers in water, sanitation, and hygiene programs: A qualitative study in rural Nepal

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse cost as a barrier to the uptake of antenatal care (ANC) in rural Nepal amidst a variety of barriers and facilitators. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study with face-to-face interviews were conducted with 50 ANC users and non-users participants. The setting is rural Nepal, some 20 kilometres outside the capital Kathmandu. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and translated into English and results were presented thematically. Findings – Cost was sometimes a barrier to seeking ANC for poor rural women. It included transport costs, opportunity costs of not being able to work in the household and service-related costs (such as blood or urine tests). The effect of cost as a barrier varied between women of different socio-economic status. Cost was a barrier to accessing ANC partly due to the women's lack of control over household resources. Social implications – It is important to consider cost in the wider socio-economic context of rural people's lives as financial costs alone do not explain the level of uptake of ANC. Originality/value – This study provides an original insight of women's experiences on financial issues relating to the use of ANC services in Nepal. Another important aspect of this study was approached with the multiple respondents (i.e. women, their husbands and their mothers-in-law) regarding the use of ANC and financial impact in the use of services. The findings of this study have important implications in health policy formation by providing clear picture of women's financial situation in access to ANC.

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Disabled women׳s maternal and newborn health care in rural Nepal: A qualitative study

Midwifery ◽

10.1016/j.midw.2014.03.012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (11) ◽

pp. 1132-1139 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Joanna Morrison ◽

Machhindra Basnet ◽

Bharat Budhathoki ◽

Dhruba Adhikari ◽

Kirti Tumbahangphe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Newborn Health ◽

Maternal And Newborn Health ◽

Rural Nepal ◽

Maternal And Newborn

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Water safety planning: adapting the existing approach to community-managed systems in rural Nepal

Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development ◽

10.2166/washdev.2013.120 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 392-401 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dani Barrington ◽

Kathryn Fuller ◽

Andrew McMillan

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Community Education ◽

World Health ◽

Great Promise ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Water Safety ◽

Hazard Management ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Health Organization ◽

Rural Nepal

Water Safety Plans (WSPs) improve the quality and secure the quantity of drinking water supplies, and hence improve public health outcomes. In developing countries such as Nepal, thousands of residents die each year as a result of poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and WSPs show great promise for improving both health and livelihoods. The Nepali Non-Governmental Organisation Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) has been working in partnership with Engineers Without Borders Australia and WaterAid Nepal to develop a WSP methodology suited to rural, community-managed water supply systems. Three pilot projects were undertaken incorporating community-based hazard management into the standard World Health Organization and Nepali Department of Water Supply and Sewerage WSP approaches. The successes and challenges of these pilots were assessed, and it was determined that community education, behaviour change, and the distribution of simplified WSP documentation to households and managers were essential to implementing successful WSPs within this context. This new WSP methodology is currently being mainstreamed throughout all of NEWAH's WASH projects in rural Nepal, as well as being shared with the wider Nepali WASH sector.

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