Sanitation, toilets, and poop aren’t the most savory of topics. They have taboos associated with them, cause embarrassment, and understandably don’t get the same attention as other development challenges.
That also means there isn’t enough funding to guarantee that people have an appropriate place to relieve themselves, whether that’s a pit toilet or one connected to a septic system or a sewer.
And it’s partly why the global goal to ensure access to safe and clean sanitation is one of the farthest behind among the Sustainable Development Goals. But one way to make progress is to change mindsets and build the economic case for investing in these often smelly businesses in countries where millions still lack access to toilets.
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
