Intervention(s)
Our intervention entails a roughly two-hour information session delivered to 10 randomly selected households in each village in the three information treatment arms (arms A, B and C). The information session consists of a standardized educational video - produced and delivered in the local languages, Wolof and Pulaar – that describes the water-access and schistosomiasis-reduction benefits of vegetation removal (“public health benefits”) or the crop productivity and profit benefits of vegetation removal (“private benefits”), respectively, in treatment arms A and B. Both educational videos are shown to participants in the third treatment (arm C), thereby combining the public health and private benefits information treatments to create a full 2x2 BACI design. Each training video also includes instruction about appropriate precautions to take to protect oneself from infection when clearing vegetation by wearing personal protection equipment (PPE). Participants are given an opportunity and trained in how to properly don the PPE during the session. In addition, those receiving the private benefits information session are also trained on how to effectively convert the vegetation to compost and use the compost for crop production.
In addition to the educational video, experts will be present to answer questions and foster discussion among attendees and a local farmer with experience using compost created from CR will be present to attest to the benefits in the private benefits arm, and a public health expert will attend the public benefits arm to answer questions and foster discussion among attendees. We will also provide two sets of personal protective equipment (namely, a pitchfork, chest waders with boots, and full-length gloves) to be shared among each group of 10 attendees in each information session. Lastly, we will give each information treatment participant a short questionnaire to assess understanding of the benefits, risks and methods of harvesting aquatic vegetation, use for compost (if applicable), and personal protection. Before they depart the training session, each participant is provided with a laminated handout to be taken home to remind them of the value of aquatic vegetation removal. We also follow up with monthly reminders via mobile phone messages for one year after the treatment, conveyed through the village relais communautaires (relays) - community contacts established for a range of purposes for communicating with government and outside nongovernmental agencies – or another individual designated by the group of 10 participants at the time of training. Each of the relays is given air time credit of FCFA5,000 (just over US$8) each month to cover their messaging costs. At endline, we will share information on both the private and public benefits with all sample households.