Combining toilets and mobile tech
We’ve all heard it before – more people in Africa have mobile phones than have access to sewerage (according to the 2017 Afrobarometer survey, at least). It’s not that useful a comparison when you think about the difference in cost, installation and infrastructure requirements of a toilet compared to a mobile phone, but it’s still […]
Triggers for growing a sanitation business aimed at low-income customers
This Topic Brief presents WSUP’s experience supporting sanitation businesses oriented towards low-income customers in five cities. Each case study highlights changes to the business model or enabling environment with the potential to trigger business growth. In WSUP’s experience, the success of sanitation businesses depends on factors internal to the business as well as those external, […]
Integrating mobile tech into sanitation services: insights from Pula
Service providers involved in faecal sludge management are held back by a lack of current data on their customer base, operating standards and levels of service. Pula, a mobile app, was developed to address this data gap. This publication shares the learning from a 3-year process of developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for the […]
Design, Prototype, Test: using Design Sprints to develop an app for sanitation service providers
This Practice Note describes the design process behind development of a mobile app, Pula, inspired by GV’s Design Sprint method. Pula aims to support vacuum tankers with their business while providing urban planners with data about sanitation in the city. See also: Integrating mobile tech into sanitation services: insights from Pula
Mapping sanitation in peri-urban Lusaka: a toilet database
This Practice Note outlines the development of a toilet database to support sanitation business development and public health monitoring in Lusaka. Currently being tested in the peri-urban area (PUA) of Kanyama, the electronic database enables information on the ownership, location, quality and emptying history of local pit latrines and septic tanks to be stored in […]
Innovations to combat the spread of cholera in cities
Cholera is a common public health burden in cities across the developing world, and tackling the spread of cholera in low-income communities is of high priority for city authorities. Particularly in regions where rainy seasons lead to frequent flooding, residents who rely on unimproved sanitation and drinking water facilities are at risk of exposure to […]
The PULA app: a customer acquisition and tracking tool for vacuum tanker businesses
Service providers involved in faecal sludge management (FSM) are held back by a lack of current data on their customer base, operating standards and levels of service. This Practice Note introduces PULA, an innovative mobile app now being developed to bridge the data gap. In WSUP’s experience, one key barrier to citywide FSM service provision […]
Clean Team wins USAID digital innovation award
Clean Team, a Ghanaian social enterprise set up by WSUP, has won a Digital Development Award from USAID for its innovative approach to mobile money. The “Digis” recognise USAID projects and activities that embrace best practices in the application of digital technologies to address urgent development problems. Set up by WSUP in 2012, Clean Team […]
Transforming the markets for emptying toilets in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, as in other developing countries, one of the biggest issues behind delivering improved sanitation services to the poorest urban residents is the collection and treatment of waste. The challenge is simple: Nearly half of the 55 million urban residents in Bangladesh lack access to sanitation facilities which enable faecal waste to be safely […]