Testing a Geo-Fencing Community Sanitation Support System

Muhamed Bizimana of CARE in the U.S. will establish an electronic system to group urban slum households and connect them with sanitation services and financing options to reduce unsafe dumping of human waste in urban Cote D’Ivoire cities. Sixty percent of urban households in Cote D’Ivoire have unsafe sanitation systems – septic tanks improperly emptied, public dumping of human waste, and open defecation – which causes a serious health threat and limits economic development. A goal has been set for all households to have access to clean drinking water and sanitation by 2030. To achieve this requires behavior change. They will set up an electronic community sanitation support system in the trial cities of Bouake and Katiola that facilitates pooling of households’ resources to acquire better toilets and more affordable waste disposal. The system will group households geographically, establish a financial scheme for sanitation equipment and services, and link groups with waste removal service providers. They hope to cause a domino effect on behavior change towards safe sanitation habits, with plans to expand across the country by collaboration with the national office of sanitation and local municipalities.