The CLTS approach was first developed in Bangladesh in 1999 by Dr Kamal Kar, a consultant working with Village Education Resource Centre (VERC) and supported by WaterAid.  VERC applied the approach systematically in a number of villages and unions, and other NGOs and donor-supported programmes (especially Plan, WaterAid, and UNICEF) used CLTS methods in their working areas. Sanitation promotion gathered speed during a generally successful nationwide, government-sponsored campaign between 2003 and 2006. Local leaders and various organisations used CLTS and other sanitation promotion methods during the campaign. The government did not formally endorse any one approach, but it did recognise communities that were declared “100 percent” (ODF) during the campaign.  Since 2006 most of the CLTS communities have gotten follow-up attention, in order to sustain achievements and solve problems.

(August 2015)