E-Learning

Sep 13, 2021

Wash'Em: Motives

Educating people about why they should wash their hands with soap rarely gets them to do it. This is because invisible forces called motives influence our behaviours.

Many factors affect the way our brains makes decisions. Motives drive humans to do things that meet their short-term goals (such as putting on a coat if we are feeling cold) and their long-term goals (such as completing many years of education because we believe that knowledge can improve our status within society).

The Motives tool will help you to identify what is driving handwashing behaviour, or preventing it, in your context. It will also identify motives that shape people’s identity and other behaviours. You will use these motives to develop a motivational story for your handwashing intervention.

  • Language:

    English

Need help?

Can’t find what you need? Have more questions about a topic? Need advice on how to use a resource? Chat with a CAWST advisor.

Contact us

About CAWST

CAWST is a Canadian charity and licensed engineering firm. We address the global need for safe drinking water and sanitation by building local knowledge and skills on household solutions people can implement themselves.

Supported by

Development of this website and creation of collections of emergency themed tools on Water Treatment, Water Quality Testing, Behavior Change and Sanitation funded by Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance - USAID.

This project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

USAID logo