Table 3 Design of the Living with Small Animals Care Group Module and Enabling Technology, Organized by IBM-WASH Dimension

 Climate: Small animals (e.g. rabbits and guinea pigs) cannot be kept outside due to weather.

Hutches for small animals selected as an enabling technology to facilitate keeping animals close to home but separate from children’s playing/eating/sleeping spaces (i.e. hutch in or attached to kitchen).

 Theft: Theft of domestic animals is possible if they are left in the yard at night, contributing to the practice of keeping animals inside alongside humans (e.g. in the kitchen or bedroom).

 Roles and responsibilities: Caregivers and other adults are away from home during the day, leaving animal feces around the home untended to throughout the day.

Pictorial instructions included in module recommend adults clean the compound daily (by sweeping) and clean the animal hutch a few times per week.

Addition of a Composting Module.

 Household resources: Preference for keeping animals in a separate structure limited by household resources (e.g. space, finances).

Candidate animal hutches constructed from low-cost, locally available materials.

 Household income and food security: Animals provide an important source of nutrients and potential cash flow.

Narrative illustration included in module acknowledges the importance of animals and highlights the importance of keeping them safe by giving them a home (i.e. hutch).

Psychosocial dimension

 Cultural identity: There is a long history of living with animals in this community. Animals provide food and economic support.

 Knowledge/perceived threat: Some animal feces are considered dirty and/or harmful for human health, others are not.

Narrative illustration included in module describes that all animals can carry germs that can make household members ill.

 Safety concerns: Concern that children will hurt animals by playing with them roughly if they are kept in close proximity to each other.

Narrative illustration included in module emphasizes the value of building a safe space for animals.

 Existing habits: Very few households keep guinea pigs in hutches, while some do keep rabbits in hutches.

Information included in the module about safely keeping guinea pigs in a contained space.

 Manufacturing/access: Small, inexpensive animal hutches accessible to rural populations.

Candidate animal hutch design able to be built by household members from low-cost, locally available materials, used by some households currently.