Jumping up the sanitation ladder in rural Cambodia: the role of remittances and peer-to-peer pressure in adopting high quality latrines

Between November 2018 and February 2019, qualitative data collection was conducted in 7 rural villages situated in the provinces of Kampung Speu and Kampung Cham in Cambodia. These villages are located approximately two to three hours away from Phnom Penh, the political and economic hub of Cambodia. The focus of this study was on these villages due to their involvement in the Cambodia Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Programme (CRSHIP), which was implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development and Plan International Cambodia from 2012 to 2016. The CRSHIP aimed to enhance access to improved sanitation facilities and promote proper hygiene practices among rural communities through various approaches such as Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), sanitation marketing, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) in schools, and behavior change communication campaigns.

Methods
These seven villages were data collection was conducated were identified to have achieved over 85% latrine coverage at the time of our visit, based on reports from the village chiefs. In essence, these villages successfully attained and maintained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status as defined by the Cambodian government, which sets 85% latrine coverage as the threshold for Open Defecation Free status.

Data collection was carried out by a local researcher proficient in Khmer and English, who conducted transect walks, interviews, and focus group discussions until saturation was reached, spending three to five days in each community. In total, we conducted 92 interviews, involving 55 female and 37 male participants, alongside seven focus group discussions (one per village, involving both male and female participants). Interviewees at the village level encompassed villagers and eight village leaders.

Data were analyzed using NVIVO.