NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the primary regions with the least improvement in accomplishing the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on sanitation by 2015, with only a 30% coverage and an increase of 4% since 1990. In most parts of the region, open defecation is an easier and cheaper alternative, as improved sanitation facilities, which ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact, are either non-existent or too expensive.

PSI works towards encouraging healthy behaviour and making markets work for the poor, a vision it is pursuing through the Sanitation Service Delivery program, where it is collaborating with PATH and Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). The multi-partner team is testing and iterating on toilet design models that meet the needs of low-income urban consumers in terms of affordability, hygiene, adequacy and desirability.

One such toilet design is the Earth Auger toilet, a low-cost, easy-to-use toilet that diverts urine and feces into separate systems, thereby making it easier for the fecal sludge to be treated and turned into compost.