Steps to conduct community-based home inspections

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Home inspections are an example of a community directed strategy for creating healthier homes and environments.

• Community home inspections help build community involvement, ownership and accountability for health problems

• Mobilizes the community to identify risks and develop actions for improvement of health at the household level

• Partner with VWG, NGO’s, community groups or volunteers in the area to implement and monitor progress

1) Set a date to meet with community leaders and address the main/targeted health issues in the community

2) Pick approximately 10 households from different communities in the catchment area. Focus on ‘high risk’ households or areas that are more vulnerable to disease as a priority.

3) Decide on what ‘criteria’ you are going to monitor in households. You may want to use the sample format (Figure 1), or develop criteria with the community for what constitutes a healthy living environment (e.g. number of fruits/vegetables planted, water and sanitation conditions)

Figure 1:

4) Create and form up responsible teams to perform or carry out the home inspection from willing members/volunteers of the community

5) Clearly brief volunteers on the purpose of the activity

6) Provide a clear scoring sheet for teams to assess the environmental health of the household.

7) Accompany volunteers on home inspections where possible

8) Debrief with teams weekly to discuss challenges, findings and need to follow up in any households

9) Follow up with households and community members where any risks were identified.

1) Access to Safe Water

2) Access to Toilets

3) State of Environmental Sanitation

4) Home Garden (Existence and State)

5) Potential Risks and Hazards (Dumpster, Open well etc.)