Report on the 36th WEDC International Conference

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From our second day of the WEDC Conference in Nakuru, Kenya, I would like to highlight two outstanding papers presented, namely Bell’s research about sanitation approaches in India and Cole’s insights from a participatory design experience in Malawi.
One pager on local solutions that address the issue of collapsing latrines and offer sustainable super and sub-structures for latrines by Mary Namwebe (Plan Uganda), Chingati Banda (Plan Malawi) and Seth Asomaning (Plan Ghana).
This booklet was developed to show that there is a wide range of rural latrine options and latrine designs adapted for users with special needs or for use in special circumstances (flooding, high groundwater table). Such different latrine types that can be used in rural areas are shown in pictures together with advantages and disadvantages, expected life span and needed materials. This format makes it easy to present a range of options and to discuss villagers’ preferences (depending on their willingness and ability to pay).
I was recently in Darfur to conduct CLTS training. I had been invited by Tearfund UK in conjunction with Oxfam America. During this workshop one of the participants raised a question for which I was not able to provide an answer immediately.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting innovators to send letters of inquiry for the second round of the Reinvent The Toilet Challenge
The Foundation is calling for a new set of innovative ideas to support their effort to reinvent the toilet. Grants will be awarded to exceptionally highly-qualified research groups interested in contributing to major advances in human sanitation in the developing world.
India’s population accounts for approximately 1/7th of the world’s population. The Government of India has the immense challenge of governing and providing services for over 1.2 billion people. As we were touching down in Mumbai on the 14th March 2012, and the infamous smell of the city hit our noses, I was reminded of the enormity of the task of governance and service provision for 1/7th of the world.
On the 27th of February 2012 the first day of the Second Annual Review Meeting of the Pan African CLTS Program took place. It was a really interesting day in which representatives of all the 8 countries in which the program is being implemented, gave us an update of the progress of their project, their main challenges, opportunities and lessons learned.