One step closer to sustainable sanitation : experiences of an ecological sanitation project in Malawi

The Central Church of Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in partnership with WaterAid has for the past 18 months been developing a latrine building programme at
Embangweni in the Northern region of Malawi. The latrines built have been those of the ecological sanitation design (eco-sans). In this time 250 such latrines have
been constructed using small-scale private sector organisations and a social marketing approach. This report outlines some of the experiences of the project to date (august 2003) and reflects on how the stimulation of demand for eco-san latrines has enhanced the possibilities of developing a truly sustainable latrine building programme. This is shown by the fact that the latrines continue to be built after subsidies and external support have been removed. [authors abstract]