The Stop Diarrhoea Initiative: The journey, outcomes and prospects

Funded by RB, the Stop Diarrhoea Initiative (SDI) would, for the first time, fully implement the 7-point plan for diarrhoea prevention and control proposed by WHO and UNICEF in 2009, and serving as a precursor to the Global Action Plan for
Pneumonia and Diarrhoea. The programme was implemented in India and Nigeria, where over a third of global cases occur.

The SDI programme interventions were designed to improve all of the indicators in the 7-point plan through its holistic implementation. Frontline health workers and community volunteers, trained on the 7-point plan and equipped with the necessary tools, were fundamental to the implementation and sustainability of programme interventions. Social and behaviour change interventions were the foundation of creating the desired changes in health seeking behaviours and preventative practices. In both countries, all programme activities were planned and implemented through the public system.

Advocacy work provided underlying support to all programme interventions through capacity building of communities and local government authorities, and was essential in ensuring ownership and sustainability of interventions.

This evaluation report looks at the project’s successes and challenges, and puts forward recommendations.