Praxis, the CLTS Knowledge Hub at the Institute of Development Studies and WaterAid undertook an immersive research project to learn from the experiences of districts that had been declared open defecation free. The researchers spent three nights and up to four days in each of a total of eight villages in Madhya Pradesh (3), Uttar Pradesh (2) and Rajasthan (3), in districts which had been declared open defecation free (ODF).They stayed with families without a specific agenda learning open-endedly from lived experience, observation and conversations.

Since its conception in 1999, Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has spread to over 60 countries and resulted in millions of people across the world living in open defecation free (ODF) communities. The approach was a departure from subsidy-driven sanitation programming which often led to uneven adoption and only partial use. CLTS enabled communities to own the process and collectively work towards becoming ODF. However, since its implementation at scale a number of challenges have appeared.

Monitoria, verificação e certificação são essenciais para garantir o êxito e a sustentabilidade dos esforços de Saneamento Total Liderado pela Comunidade (CLTS). A monitoria avalia e documenta o progresso realizado e a sustentabilidade do estatuto de Livre de Fecalismo a Céu Aberto (ODF). A verificação e a certificação definem uma meta para as comunidades e ajudam as agências implementadoras e os governos a garantir a coerência e a fiabilidade dos resultados desejados.

Monitoring, verification and certification are essential for ensuring the success and sustainability of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) efforts. Monitoring assesses and documents progress towards and the sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. Verification and certification provide a goal for communities and help implementing agencies and governments to ensure consistency and reliability of desired outcomes.