ABSTRACT
Making a village open defecation free (ODF) is an interdependent action that requires coordinated behavioural change among all households in the village. The Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM–G) has been one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the Government of India to achieve an ODF status for its villages. SBM–G is the rural component of the mission that seeks to improve solid and liquid waste management activities in rural areas and make villages ODF. An independent research agency, Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd., was commissioned to hire, train, supervise and monitor field interviewers for gathering data from the study districts. Innovative approaches showed promise in yielding the early results of programme achievements. Financial support for conducting the process evaluation was provided to BBC Media Action by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Any individual acting alone to build and use a latrine would incur a financial cost.
