Reducing open defecation in Nyanza cut cholera outbreaks, created jobs

Caroline Akinyi, a member of Bar Agulu Community Group shows members the different types of Unicef-funded SATO toilet bowls at Bar Agulu Health Center. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Mary Achieng walks shoulder-high at her home in Baragulu village, Siaya County. Her family of seven has not suffered any sanitation-related illnesses in five months thanks to a pan placed on her pit latrine. The Safe Toilets (SATO) are mechanical with air-tight seals that close off latrines and thus keep away insects that spread diseases after coming into contact with human waste.

The use of SATO pans helped reduce open defecation and has enhanced sanitation levels in Siaya, Homa Bay and counties in Nyanza where previously “we had frequent diarrhoea but since all has been well,” says Achieng.