When asked, what do you think a country like Kenya needs most? Would you ever think of the need for cleaner toilets? That's exactly what David Kuria and his team are doing with EcoTact. Knowing that "80 percent of recorded illnesses are water-born diseases, and more than two-thirds of these people don't have access to basic sanitation", it starts to make sense. David Kuria, an elected Ashoka Fellow since 2007, started the IKO toilet project to address such issue.
At first it just a project to provide hygienic facilities, now it has adopted several micro enterprises into its facilities, to now what's called a Toilet Mall. Providing services such as electronic money transfer, shoe shine, haircut and a snack outlet.
I think this project speaks on two important points:
1) When there are market needs there will be a service to service those needs.
2) Only someone from the community can truly understand the need of the community.
"It's not just improving the sanitation for the people but their dignity as well."
Additional Resource: http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/david-kuria-sanitation-and-toilet-entrepreneur/
- GlassFrog Blogger Jackel
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