One Drop's SABC Approach on the International Stage

The international water, sanitation, and hygiene sector (WASH) is unanimous: communities must embrace healthy behaviours to ensure sustainable water infrastructure; it is no longer a secret that behaviour change is the missing link to a project’s sustainability. The success of One Drop’s unique Social Art for Behaviour Change™ (SABC) approach has attracted considerable attention, bringing us to major international events together with leading experts of the sector. In 2019, One Drop participated in panels, workshops, and debates — to share our approach, show its results, and move closer to reaching Sustainable Development Goals.

Join us on a quick trip around the world!

Sommet francophone sur le changement social et de comportement, Côte d’Ivoire
After our project in Mali generated great interest, One Drop’s social art experts along with representatives from our executing partner participated in the Francophone summit for social and behaviour change in Abidjan. Our first presentation focused on community involvement, dialogue, and resource mobilization, while a second one showed how mastering social art activities and debate techniques can make the behaviour change process more efficient.

Latinosan, Costa Rica
For the Latinosan conference, Program Director Ernenek Duran joined a panel on collective creation of knowledge, presenting concrete examples from a collaborative process used with rural communities in Guatemala. On her end, Tania Vachon, our Social Art for Behaviour Change Director, presented our approach and outlined how it changes behaviours sustainably. “To help people make better decisions, we have to mobilize both cerebral systems: the emotional and the rational. This isn’t seen enough within WASH projects.’’ she stated.

C2 Montréal, Canada
Tania and our experts presented an interactive workshop at C2 Montréal, taking the sold-out audience through a unique experience where art, and behaviour change coincide. Participants were invited to apply One Drop’s approach to their own industries, and brainstorm on creating a more sustainable future. The session ended with a slam-poetry performance inspired by the workshop.

IFC Sustainability Exchange, Senegal
One Drop attended the IFC Sustainability Exchange in Africa, opening the event with an SABC theatre performance presented in collaboration with the Centre Culturel Kôrè. Chief Program Officer Véronique Doyon was an invited panelist in a thought-provoking session on the value of water.

World Water Week, SIWI, Sweden
At the World Water Week — organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute — we held an enlightening showcase on experiencing the SABC process, and understanding the science behind it. It inspired two artists to create a mural, which now hangs at SIWI as a symbol of the importance of artistic approaches to developmental issues. Also, Ernenek was part of a panel for organizations with successful models in rural areas while Véronique participated in a showcase on how cross-collaboration can be mutually beneficial for both private- and WASH sectors, and how the METRO Water Initiative, specifically, is generating exponential impact in India.

Stakeholder Commitment Gathering, USA
At the Stakeholder Commitment Gathering in Washington DC, One Drop Program Director, Lauren Alcorn, supported the WHO’s Global Call to Action by pledging US $7M in support of WASH initiatives in healthcare facilities in Haiti, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Malawi.

WASH in HCF Global Meeting, Zambia
We then travelled to Zambia to attend the Global meeting on WASH in healthcare facilities and facilitate a workshop on engaging communities.

Lab for Change, Mexico
Ending the year on a positive note, a Lazos de Agua Special Edition of One Drop’s own One Drop Lab for Change event was held in Guanajuato. Executing partners from our 13 projects worldwide gathered together with donors, and representatives from executing agencies, related organizations, and government bodies, to share their knowledge and create impactful solutions towards achieving SDG 6.

And more!
One Drop also participated in the UNC Water and Health Conference (USA), the Sustainable Retail Summit (Germany), the North American Social Marketing Conference (Canada), The All systems go! Symposium (Netherlands) and numerous SABC workshops held as part of our projects around the world.

We also joined the Antimicrobial Resistance Challenge, a yearlong effort to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance; we were nominated as a Top 10 International Impact Charity in Canada; and we were selected as an External Support Agency for the UN Water and World Health Organization’s GLAAS report, a guide to action on matters affecting WASH.

Follow us in 2020 for another year of impactful international sharing!

We want to take this opportunity to highlight the work of our team of SABC experts formed of Tania Vachon, Raïsa Mirza, Pascale Gravel Richard, Isabelle Viens and Luc Gaudet.