Improving sanitation and hygiene for local communities
Across Africa and Asia, we are a trusted partner for local governments. We support national programmes and work with teams on the ground to deliver affordable and innovative products that create better lives, every day. By combining this practical approach with our award-winning solutions, we can help support the creation of long-term economic value for emerging economies.
Why partner with us?
Working to support national sanitation and hygiene programmes
We have an innovative market-shaping approach which supports national efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene standards. In Tanzania, for example, UNICEF and LIXIL are working with the government’s national sanitation campaign, “Nyumba Ni Choo,” (“a home is only complete with a good toilet”), which is an all-out activation and awareness campaign to make sure everyone in the country has access to a quality toilet by 2025. We support the national govenrment in this campaign by ensuring products are available to meet the demand for improved sanitation, and by assisting with monitoring the outcome.
Engaging in joint advocacy
We work to influence other countries’ governments to establish campaigns similar to the Tanzanian campaign (described above) that support greater coordination of both public and private partners’ efforts towards improved access to sanitation on a large scale. We also work on identifying policy constraints and building on drivers to accelerate sanitation access.
Government FAQs
Why are government partnerships important to SATO?
Governments work on behalf of their citizens. They play a key role in setting policies that improve lives. In the countries where we work, access to affordable sanitation is often critically lacking. This creates preventable health, social, and environmental challenges which governments must try to solve. By working closely with governments, we can accelerate improved sanitation through collaborative efforts to influence hygiene behaviours, to generate demand for improved sanitation, and to develop policies that foster the creation of markets where citizens can access affordable sanitation solutions for their homes and communities. Indeed, government partnerships are essential for helping establish hygiene and sanitation markets in emerging economies, thereby improving the quality of life for as many people as possible.
What partners do you have, and who else do you want to get involved with the business?
We work with a broad spectrum of partners, from IGOs and NGOs like UNICEF, WHO, Water Aid, Save the Children, and Plan International; to fellow businesses like Reckitt, Coca Cola, and WeFarm; to national government agencies like USAID and JICA. We invite more governments, IGOs, NGOs, and private sector companies to join us as partners so that, together, we can improve lives by expanding markets for SATO’s affordable sanitation products,
How does your partnership with USAID work?
- LIXIL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in October 2020 to develop the sanitation and hygiene market. The MOU with USAID recognized our shared goals of increasing access to basic sanitation and hygiene in underserved communities through market-based approaches, and as a result of its progress, LIXIL has now entered a cooperative agreement with USAID as of October 2021.
- The cooperative agreement is known as The Partnership for Better Living: Affordable, Accessible, Adaptable Sanitation Solutions. This new partnership aims to expand the market for affordable and appropriate sanitation solutions, and to improve the availability of products and the reliability of supply chains in countries of shared interest.
Do you receive any external funding from organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?
In the past, we received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as from Grand Challenges Canada. We currently have a five-year $10M grant from USAID under a cooperative agreement called The Partnership for Better Living.
Contact us by phone, email, or the form opposite
If you are based in India, please call us toll-free, Monday to Friday between 9am-6pm, on +1800 202 1626
If you are based in Africa, please call us toll-free, Monday to Friday between 9am-6pm or Saturday between 9am-1pm, on +254 800 722 233
Or get in touch using the form and we will contact you as soon as possible.