Faecal sludge management and technology justice: promoting sustained and scalable solutions

In this paper we use Practical Action’s framework of Technology Justice and apply it to faecal sludge management. The framework analyses FSM from the perspectives of access, use and innovation. It encourages a wider systems-based approach to the issue. We illustrate the ideas by discussing how we are trying to create long-lasting change through a positive enabling environment in Bangladesh which encompasses empowerment of informal pit emptiers, engagement with Municipalities, and work to establish a new set of national guidelines

Faecal sludge management in Faridpur, Bangladesh: scaling up through service level agreements

Improving the situation of faecal sludge management is an urgent issue in all the rapidly growing towns across Bangladesh where there is no sewerage system. Simply improving access to sanitation will not lead to health benefits unless the sludge is safely dealt with. This paper reports on the findings of a situation analysis on FSM in Faridpur Town carried out in 2014. It goes on to outline the solution which will be implemented in the next three years with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This solution aims to create a city-wide solution, introducing incentives for safe disposal, sharpening the use of subsidies, and crucially doing this through the inclusion and mainstreaming of existing informal service providers

Implications of inappropriate containment on urban sanitation and environment: a study of Faridpur, Bangladesh

Several initiatives have been undertaken by agencies to tackle the second generation sanitation challenge of safe management of faecal sludge. A situation analysis of an on-going initiative identified inappropriate containment at source is one of key problems, with multiple implications for people’s access to decent, safe sanitation and for the environment. Inappropriate containment is the manifestation of the lack of knowledge, guidelines, awareness at the city level and has not been prioritised in the rush to achieve basic sanitation coverage. As a result, urban dwellers constructed intermediate solutions to containment and sludge management which pollute the overall environment. The current study of Faridpur city will shows the impact of inappropriate containment on sanitation and the environment in Faridpur, Bangladesh

Transgender inclusive sanitation - insights from South Asia

This paper provides insights from initiatives to include transgender people in sanitation programming in South Asia. Three case studies of recent actions to make sanitation inclusive for transgender people (in India and Nepal) are presented, accompanied by reflections and recommendations to guide future practice. Practitioners are recommended to: engage with transgender people as partners at all stages of an initiative; recognise that the language of gender identity is not fixed, varying across cultures and between generations; and acknowledge that transgender people are not a single homogenous group but rather have diverse identities, histories and priorities. The case studies aim to raise awareness of the diversity of transgender identities, exploring the needs and aspirations of transgender women, transgender men, and third gender people