Although CLTSH has had tremendous success since its initial start, only 24% of the population currently has an improved toilet. Traditional unimproved pit latrines made from locally available and affordable materials are low cost and easy to construct, but are not considered hygienic or sustainable as people stop using dirty and smelly toilets or go back to open defecation after their latrines collapse. There is a need and increasing aspiration for an improved latrine based on the recognized benefits: improved toilets are safer (i.e. they hygienically separate faeces from human contact), more comfortable (no smells, flies and easy to clean), and more sustainable (no collapsing, no reverting back to OD).

A recent market assessment conducted in the four big regions of Ethiopia (Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and SNNP) shows that a concrete slab is a critical expenditure to move up the sanitation ladder and that amongst the interviewed households there was willingness to pay. However, the supply chain for affordable, desirable and easily accessible improved latrine products and services is poorly developed and distorted by subsidized production and distribution of slabs. Even if a household would like to upgrade their toilet, access to appropriate services is limited.

This field note gives a brief summary of the sanitation marketing intervention jointly implemented by UNICEF and International Development Enterprise (iDE) since 2012.

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This note is part of UNICEF’s Sanitation and Hygiene Learning Series which is being developed in collaboration with UNICEF Country Offices.