Sanitation interventions are bountiful, yet concerns prevail regarding their impact and sustainability. Community-led initiatives, such as those facilitated by Outreach Philippines, Incorporated (OPI), prove to ease such concerns. The research team conducted a qualitative study to understand the role of OPI’s sanitation activities and their impact on three communities in the rural Philippines. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team adapted their data collection strategy by employing Most Significant Change and Photovoice methodologies. The breadth of data collected underscores the vitality that multimedia brings to data collection. Significantly, the pivoting necessary to conduct the study was made possible by OPI staff and community leaders who played integral roles in developing and carrying out the research. The findings point to the advantages of using multiple qualitative methods, the necessity to do so during COVID-19, and community members’ ability to bolster study success.

This article considers the impact of improved sanitation beyond physical well-being. Based on the experiences of women from three community-based organisations (CBOs) in the rural Philippines, this article expands on documented non-health related outcomes of health, safety and security, cleaner surroundings, and ownership, to also include those linked to household income, livelihood, and CBOs. Drawing from the participatory and qualitative methods of Photovoice and Most Significant Change, semi-structured interviews and individual photo conversations were conducted among 13 CBO leaders and 50 sanitation project participants, respectively. Findings suggest that CBOs enable improved sanitation, and such improvements include a personal and communal change in the form of reformed sanitation and hygiene practices, enhanced independence, privacy, and security, and improved ability to reclaim spaces for personal and public use, cultivation, and economic stimulation. Findings also underscore the idea that people may be more likely to adopt and sustain improved sanitation efforts if they are made aware of the additional non-physical health advantages of doing so.