WASH Clean Communities – A practical guide to building and maintaining toilets in the Pacific

Sanitation refers to the disposal of human waste. Whilst a basic need, less than half of Pacific islanders have access to clean and safe sanitation services such as toilets (WHO 2008).

The lack of toilets can result in conditions such as diarrhoea, which claims the lives of close to 3,000 Pacific islanders each year–most of whom are under the age of five (WHO 2008).

Live & Learn Environmental Education is working with local communities in the Pacific to establish ‘sanitation enterprises’: demand-driven businesses that provide sanitation services (such as toilets) to improve sanitation in the Pacific islands. Based on the notion of ‘sanitation marketing’, the strength and success of these
businesses pivots on the value the community places on toilets and improved sanitation.