SNV in Bhutan’s collaboration with Ability Bhutan Society (ABS) and Disabled People’s Organisation of Bhutan (DPAB) started in 2015. In the beginning, the partnership was mainly focussed on undertaking joint practical research. Together, we explored the impacts of disability on access to and use of sanitation and hygiene services in rural Bhutan. This partnership has grown to ensure the availability of a wide array of sanitation and technology options for different types of disabilities, and to transform the means of engagement in WASH decision-making and planning.

Guided by CBM Australia, SNV in Bhutan’s partnership with ABS and DPAB is underpinned by the principle of a mutually beneficial partnership. This means that Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) such as ABS and DPAB have a critical role to play in shaping inclusion approaches within the WASH sector, and in assisting the sector to meets its Sustainable Development Goals of safely managed WASH services (SDG 6) and to leave no-one behind. On the other hand, the WASH sector has a facilitation and enabling role to play in supporting DPOs’ objectives to increase awareness on disability inclusion in development programmes, and day-to-day life.

‘Nothing about us, without us’

‘Nothing about us, without us’ is a popular disability advocacy slogan of self-empowerment and self- determination adopted by disability advocates in South Africa in the 1980s.

For SNV and our partners, disability inclusion in WASH is as much a process as it is an outcome. Pathways to realise inclusive WASH is a journey that must be taken by multiple groups, representing different perspectives, together. Under the Australian Government’s Water for Women Fund’s Beyond the Finish Line (BFL) programme, DPOs are engaged in programme and activity design, implementation, monitoring, and advocacy. Our DPO partners do not only advise us on our strategies, they are also active spokespersons in WASH decision-making forums.

For far too long, governance, development, and decision-making spaces for DPO engagement have been limited. Under the BFL programme, the partnership – including national and local governments – is rewriting this long history of exclusion. SNV in Bhutan works at multiple levels within the national WASH governance system to enable an environment of inclusive development. We invest in the capacity development of our DPO partners to increase their voice and influence in WASH decision-making forums, to enhance their research capacity, and to make research recommendations actionable to influence policy change.

At government level, our partnership with the Ministry of Health and local health departments is strengthening government authorities and staff know-how to harness effective collaborations with local DPOs and other Rights Holder Organisations to achieve the sector goal of WASH access for all by 2023.

A mutually reinforcing partnership

Representatives of Bhutanese DPOs ABS and DPAB are now engaging at different levels of governance; from grassroots to ministry levels. DPO engagement is providing us with strategies and new insights to advance the WASH inclusion agenda, at multiple levels.

For example, SNV and Bhutan’s WASH sector is benefitting greatly from ABS’s disability data on the prevalence of both visible and invisible disabilities, and the contact details of the carers of people with disabilities. These data are proving to be more comprehensive than the data maintained by the health sector in districts, said Mr Rinchen Wangdi, Chief, PHED, Ministry of Health.

According to the ABS Executive Director, Mr Ugyen Wangchuk, the collaboration with SNV is ‘increasing leaders’ awareness about disability inclusion in WASH.’ At national level, ABS has become a key player in the national WASH arena and sits as member of the National WASH Technical Working Group led by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement. ABS staff have also been engaged in sanitation and hygiene promotion in districts; along with SNV and PHED staff. ABS presence in district visits has encouraged households and local government to upgrade existing toilets for members with disabilities, at home and in public areas, respectively. During the Dagana District Review meeting of October 2020, ABS brought along with them several bedside toilets to aid people with disabilities and mobility challenges.

Reflections

Through our engagement with DPOs, it is clear that collaboration with Rights Holder Organisations (RHOs) requires a lot of intentional work and commitment. Collaboration has many facets, and requires multi-level, consistent, and long-term approaches to redress the historical exclusion of many groups from decision-making, planning, and implementation. Our experience in Bhutan demonstrates once again that capacity strengthening activities need to be complemented by advocacy to influence policy formulation and directions, and on-going mentoring and coaching of RHOs and government to broadly embed inclusion practice. In the case of ABS for example, it took some three years of consistent and constant interaction and mentoring for the DPO to evolve into a key player in the national WASH forum.

SNV in Bhutan considers the increased engagement of DPOs in WASH policy and direction setting a significant achievement. However, viewed through a critical gender lens, it is important to bring to the surface those factors that made ABS’ pathway to leadership a successful one. Would have similar outcomes been achieved had ABS been headed by a woman? Such is an important question to ask, especially in the context of SNV in Bhutan’s experience in enhancing women’s participation in entrepreneurial activities. Despite close to a decade of efforts, SNV is finding out that the sanitation market and clientele in districts are less receptive to businesses led by women, compared to their male counterparts. Regrettably, the gendered stronghold of social norms, attitudes, and behaviour continue to serve as significant barriers to the success of women-led WASH enterprise initiatives, and potentially, women’s ascendance in leadership positions.