WHAT WE DO,OUR INTERVENTIONS:

Max Foundation was founded in 2005 by Joke and Steven Le Poole, following the death of their son Max who died from a viral infection at eight months. Steven and Joke were determined to spare other parents such deep sorrow. They wanted to give as many children as possible the future that Max was not able to have. Max will continue to live and grow through the work of Max Foundation.

The mission of Max Foundation is to give children a healthy start in life and save as many children’s lives as possible. We want to do this in the most effective and sustainable way. Every day, nearly 16,000 children under the age of five die unnecessarily from infectious diseases and diarrhoea. Max Foundation believes that a holistic and integrated approach can tackle the roots of child mortality, morbidity and impaired child growth. And that this is best done through collectively addressing practices in the areas of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), nutrition and Sexual Reproductive Health or SRH (including safe motherhood).

We aim to be as effective and as sustainable as possible via proven and innovative approaches on community strengthening, institutional embedding and sustainable market models. We envision a world in which easily preventable diseases are no longer a cause for child mortality amongst children under the age of five.

Between 2005 and 2015 we have supported over one million people in approximately 4,000 villages with clean water, adequate sanitation facilities and other WASH and health-related products and services.

What we do, our interventions

In 2012, Max Foundation started its integrated Max-WASH programme, combining the components of water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) with nutrition and sexual reproductive health (SRH). The aim is to reduce the occurrence of diarrhoea and other water- and faecal-borne diseases. We want to contribute to a healthier start in life for children under five, to prevent as many child deaths as possible.

WASHThe basic WASH approach consists of three integrated pillars: clean and safe drinking water supply, adequate sanitation facilities and hygiene education.

Water: Inadequate and unsafe water supply, limited access to sanitation facilities and poor hygiene are major contributing factors to the spreading of diseases. Deep water tube wells protect the water from getting infected.

Challenges in providing good quality water are ownership, sustainability of water sources and safe water management, or management of collected water. For example, a deep tube well is available to

the whole community. It involves people having to collect the water, in some cases far away from their households. To help tackle these challenges, we install piped water supply systems in rural, hard-to-reach and economically poor areas. Water is made accessible at individual household level, and can be used for both private and agriculture purposes. This keeps the transportation and storage of water safe.

Latrines: Latrines are a crucial improvement compared to defecating out in the open. Open defecation causes health problems and the spreading of diseases. Most latrines are purchased by families themselves in areas where Max Foundation is active. We involve local governments to supply subsidy to the poorest households. We also encourage giving boys and girls separate latrines at schools, by educating on sanitation and advocating for investment in sanitation hardware.

Hygiene education: Without hygiene education, the installation of wells and latrines has a limited impact. We therefore always start by providing information to villagers on the importance of (personal) hygiene, like washing hands after using the toilet and before and after preparing food. This is done for all areas of their lives, including in the communities and schools. By doing so, and by the combined effort of our integrated approach and strategies, we create a long-term behavioural change.

THEORY OF CHANGE

Sexual Reproductive Health Max Foundation has developed an integrated approach of water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) with additional components of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including safe motherhood. We educate people on issues of reproductive health, and provide them with educational messages on early marriage, childbirth registration and family planning. We also educate women and girls on proper hygiene practices and provide them with adequate sanitary facilities. Max Foundation has made major progress by providing women access to clean water and sanitation through the development of women bathing chambers. Improved access to private bathing places contributes to safe menstrual hygiene management. The comfortable women bathing chambers offer privacy and encourage them to use soap, reducing infections and other (reproductive) health problems significantly. All these interventions have had a positive impact on women’s development

To support women during and after pregnancy, Max Foundation trains community health workers in pregnancy, childbirth, maternal health and child health. The health workers learn how to recognise danger signs during pregnancy, and when to refer women to health facilities for ante- and postnatal care. They are equipped with kits containing basic resources to guide the delivery hygienically. We also educate mothers on the importance of breastfeeding.

Max Foundation also focuses on woman empowerment throughout our whole approach. Our programmes empower women and girls by providing them with knowledge and tools to express their voices.

NutritionIn several projects, our WASH approach is also complemented with elements aimed at reducing stunting. Many of the deaths related to infectious diseases occur in children who are stunted. Stunting means being too small for one’s age. It is associated with long-lasting, negative cognitive and physical consequences. These include intellectual impairment and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In Bangladesh, 36% of all children under five are stunted.1 Besides focusing on WASH, we improve information on and demonstrations of optimal breastfeeding practices among mothers. We also provide mothers with demonstrations of homestead gardening to increase food security, and teach them how to cook healthy meals for their family.

Furthermore, we provide communities with growth monitoring charts to monitor the progress of their child’s development. After the growth monitoring and promotion sessions, mothers discuss in groups which behaviours are helping children to grow better. They identify the best interventions by learning from peers whose children show considerable improvements in their growth.

What we do, our approaches

Community strengtheningMax Foundation knows how important it is to engage communities in the entire process. We involve local people every step of the way. For example, when projects are implemented, we take into consideration the opinions of the local community regarding organisational arrangements to maintain implemented services and facilities. When communities are fully involved in the development and implementation of a programme, they gain a sense of authority and empowerment. This helps them to build confidence in their own capabilities. Also, behaviour change is one of the key aims of the programmes. Max Foundation sets up community groups and organises courtyard classes as main drivers for sensitisation, awareness raising and education.

Institutional embeddingTo build services that last, it is crucial to align communities, governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector. Max Foundation works closely with the local government and many local partners. We share relevant knowledge to learn from each other’s best practices and mistakes. We encourage local partners to develop and strengthen their partnerships with relevant stakeholders, such as local governments and private entrepreneurs. This helps to ensure that everyone involved in the project cooperates with, and complements each other.

Sustainable Market ModelsMax Foundation believes in a participatory, community-led approach. We also want to involve local entrepreneurs in public-private partnerships. This approach has led to the development of several new business models. One of the business models is the so-called SaniMart. Sanitation entrepreneurs often struggle with a limited demand, as well as their marketing and the quality of their products. With our programme, and in cooperation with the World Bank, Max Foundation strengthens the entrepreneurs’ capacity in marketing. Sanitation Marketing focuses on the development of the marketplace. It helps entrepreneurs to produce and supply sanitation products and services based on demand.

1World Bank (2014) “Bangladesh: Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5).” Available from: https://goo.gl/OKFSR6

Max Foundation knows how important

it is to engage communities in the entire process. We involve local people

every step of the process

Theory of Change

Problem

Catalyzingstrategy

Strategy

Output

Outcome

Impact

Developmentobjective

Child mortality in Asia is high: one in three childeren who die under the age of five live in South Asia. Water- and faecal-borne diseases, stunting, low weight and poor health in children under five are major problems that contribute to child mortality and morbidity.

Effectiveness

Interventions

WASH Community strengthening

SRH Institutionalembedding

Nutrition SustainableMarket Models

Innovation Sustainability

Approaches

Wash services and products established

• Use of WASH products and services or improved behaviour

• Increased community awareness of and involvement in WASH-related issues

• Use of SRH products and services or improved behaviour

• Increased community awareness of and involvement in SRH-related issues

• Use of nutritional products and services or improved behaviour

• Increased community awareness of and involvement in nutrition-related issues

SRH services and products established

Nutritional services and products established

Community support groups (CSGs) established

Communities take responsibility for development issues

Stakeholders take responsibility for development issues

Increased demand for sanitation products and services

Links between stakeholders created and collaboration started

Demand-based sanitary products and services produced and supplied

• Reduced water- and faecal-borne diseases in children under five• Reduced number of children under five suffering from stunted growth and low weight

To reduce mortality in children under five and provide a healthy start in life

AddressWorld Trade Center(sponsored by CBRE Global Investors DOF)A-tower 5th floorStrawinskylaan 5031077 XX Amsterdam

Telephone+31 (0)20 611 76 74

E-mailinfo@maxfoundation.org

Websitewww.maxfoundation.org

More information

How we work

EffectivenessWe want to create maximum impact with the limited resources available to us. How do we do this? To begin with, by benchmarking our projects and by optimising our project costs. Through monitoring, evaluation and learning we continually improve our approach. We are always asking ourselves: “Can we do better, be more effective, be more innovative and more sustainable?” We also believe in the power of focus. Worldwide, the water and sanitation crisis is one of the major causes of mortality of children under five. That is why we chose to work in the field of WASH and health for the poorest people, with the highest need for it.

SustainabilityMax Foundation focuses on sustainability. We are only satisfied when we have created a lasting change. We achieve this by applying our integrated approach, focusing on behavioural change and making people owner of our projects. Our interventions focus on long-term solutions, creating a behaviour change that is generational. Max Foundation looks at its work using the FIETS (Financial, Institutional, Environmental, Technological and Social) sustainability principles.

InnovationAs a learning organisation, Max Foundation constantly looks for opportunities to innovate and strengthen its work. We do this by continuously benchmarking, monitoring and evaluating our work. The purpose of exploring innovations is to find better ways to achieve our programme goals. These innovations can be based on technology, a specific technique, or a business model that enhances the value of service delivery. We find innovation to be necessary in our strategy. We therefore also seek collaboration with other NGOs and private partners, since innovation is usually based on earlier developed methods or models.