Creating income opportunities for the rural poor.IDE Cambodia mixes toilets with success
The BBC Reports on IDE Cambodia success of 10,000 Easy Latrine sales:
IDE Cambodia has had an impressive result selling 10,000 ‘Easy Latrines’ in one year. The BBC picked up on IDE’s success and travelled out to Cambodia to film a report as well as writing a supporting article on the project.
The Easy Latrine Project:
In only a little over a year, the Sanitation Marketing Project of International Development Enterprises (IDE) in Cambodia has reached a landmark of 10,000 latrines sold. This marks more latrines sold in the project areas in the past year than in the last four years combined, a tremendous step forward in public health for a country where only 18% of the rural population has access to a toilet.
A common local latrine, which could run up to $150, was well beyond the means of the average rural Cambodian, whose average annual income is a mere $135. With help from IDEO designer Jeff Chapin, IDE redesigned the latrine to make it more user-friendly-easy to buy, easy to build, and easy to use. The resulting Easy Latrine costs only about $35 and can be assembled by the families themselves in a day.
Previously an unsexy product, the rapid growth in demand is now being met by local entrepreneurs in the latrine supply chain who have been trained by IDE in efficient production methods, business skills, and proactive methods for generating sales. There are now 22 Easy Latrine producers, who have inspired ambitious competitors to also join in the booming latrine market.
Not only has the Sanitation Marketing Project made tremendous strides in improving rural sanitation in Cambodia, it has done so by leveraging the market and improving the livelihoods of local entrepreneurs. The programme has been recognised internationally for its success, winning the International Design Excellence Award and recently being inducted to the World Toilet Organisation’s Hall of Fame.
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