Learning from ODF Districts in Mozambique

Abstract

With 30 per cent of Mozambique’s rural population still practicing open defecation (JMP 2021), the country urgently needs to accelerate results if it is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. After over a decade of work by the Government and key partners including UNICEF, six districts have recently been declared open defecation free (ODF). This paper shares findings from a review commissioned by UNICEF in 2023 to understand the enablers and barriers to success in these districts, and inform national and global discussion on how sub-national systems can be better supported to drive progress towards area-wide sanitation. Eight enablers were identified, ranging from government and community leaders’ commitment and active involvement to programmatic strategies and funding and local market and environmental conditions. The review recommends focusing on these enablers in non-ODF districts and continuing them in ODF districts (particularly across political and staff transitions), while increasing focus on sustainability and post-ODF support throughout.