Sanitary Water Initiatives: Clean Water and Culture Change

In sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of disease is water-born (United Nations, 2003). Since Kibera is not recognized by its government, water is privatized. The privitized water is sold by vendors at a higher price and lower quality than what is available in the rest of Nairobi. Unsealed latrines, open sewers, and improper drains characterize sanitation in Kibera. Unsurprisingly, diseases like malaria and typhoid are therefore common and water-born disease continues to spread.

So what are people doing about the problem and how can sanitation in Kibera be improved? Following are two examples of projects that aim to create clean water systems in Kibera and my views on their progress.

David Kuria: Ikotoilet


(Photo Credit: Forbes: Why Sanitation Business Is Good Business)

In 2003 BBC report on sanitation in different countries featured David Kuria, who was planning to revolutionize the use of toilets in Kibera. He said his goal was to create an environmentally friendly toilet that also serves as a community center, library, and clean water distribution point, called the Ikotoilet. Kuria asked the Kiberan people what they wanted most and sanitation ranked the highest, however there exists a taboo around sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa, wherein it is not common to talk about toilets. Kuria set out to change this culture in order to improve health (BBC 2003).

In 2010, Kuria appeared on Circle of Blue's 5 for 15 interview radio channel and shared the success of his project so far. According to Kuria, 40 Ikotoilets are used throughout Kenya as both sanitary toilets and as meeting spaces. The Ikotoilet is now a place to use an ATM, buy a soft drink, meet a friend, or get your shoes polished (Maddocks, 2010).

I am very impressed with the work Kuria was able to do for sanitation in Kenya. In his first interview with BBC in 2003, he was particularly emphatic about the state of Kibera, however in the 2010 interview, he focused mainly on Kenya as a whole. I wonder if the reality of implementing this project was too difficult to achieve with a focus on Kibera or if he plans to put more energy to Kibera in the future. I am also impressed with the culture change he achieved around sanitation. Whereas it would have previously been taboo to speak of a toilet, it is now common say "let's meet at the Ikotoilet on whatever street" because it is the most apparent landmark. Before sanitation change can happen in a community, the community must be willing to talk about it, so this seems like a project that is changing a culture while delivering tangible change at the same time.

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO): Holistic WASH Program

SHOFCO is improving the Kibera community through education, health, community empowerment, and water and sanitation initiatives by placing girls at the center of change. Their Kibera School for Girls serves as a community center where other activities, initiatives, and opportunities for the whole community take place. WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and is the project that I will focus on.

Holistic water and sanitation means more than just implementing clean water stations. Similarly to the Ikotoilet, the Holistic WASH Program is interested creating a cultural shift. By making the girls school the center for their clean water distribution, they hope to change the community attitude more positively towards women and girls (SHOFCO, 2013).

Their reports from 2013 show their model for social change and sanitary change worked well. Along with the other three initiatives and various activities hosted at the girls school, the Holistic WASH Program helped to improve attitudes towards women and lower rates of sexual violence. Additionally, they contributed tangible improvements in clean water distribution and clean toilets (2013 SHOFCO Community Survey).


(Photo Credit: SHOFCO Impact Community Surveys)

I am impressed by both projects because they do more than simply give out clean water or drop in a toilet and leave. It is clear that impact needs to be sustainable, which as these two initiatives show are rooted in the community and its beliefs. I am becoming more critical of sustained impacts and addressed the roots of problems. While culture and beliefs don't change quickly, they are the root of change and I aim to become more critical of temporary solutions that don't account for the long-term, using programs like these as an example.