Willingness to pay for WASH education services: a case study in Honduras

Many organizations provide education and training services to improve the sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions; however, it can be challenging to develop financially sustainable models for delivering such services. To address this, the University of Cambridge, the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, and Agua Pura Para el Mundo (APPM) completed a Willingness to Pay (WTP) study for WASH education services in Honduras. Rural community members had some WTP for education services, despite low income levels, and preferred when a product, e.g. a water filter, was provided as well. Individual WASH practitioners had moderate WTP (~25% of cost) for short courses. Organisations had relatively high WTP, compared with the other two groups (~50% of cost). The results were used to investigate potentially sustainable business models for APPM’s education services. The methodology presented can support other organizations to develop sustainable business approaches for their capacity development services