Problem

In developing countries, poor people lack access to agricultural products like soil conditioners and fertilizers. As a result, their crops lack the proper nutrients to flourish.

In addition, families do not have a great deal of space in their yards for toilets. Pit latrines eventually fill and need to be relocated. New sites for latrines inside small yards are difficult to find.

The Gift

Ecological Sanitation (EcoSan) latrine methods
safely use human waste as compost. By allowing human waste to decompose with a mixture of ash and soil in permanent latrines, space is saved in often small yards, as the pits do not need to be re-sited. Your donation will provide WaterAid with the necessary supplies to help communities build an EcoSan latrine.

EcoSan offers people the potential for added economic value, especially those people who depend on farming for at least some of their economic well being and who are generally quite poor. Local agriculture benefits from a renewable source of fertile compost. The composting process breaks down any pathogens in the feces and so the compost is safe to use to grow food. As dry latrines the system also limits both flies and smells.
Improving sanitation not only improves health, but also people's dignity and livelihoods.