Strengthening the sanitation market system : WaterSHED’s Hands-Off experience

WaterSHED is a local NGO that builds markets to improve the water, sanitation, and hygiene practices of rural households across Cambodia, in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government of Cambodia’s targets. This paper describes the systems approach and guiding principles that WaterSHED has developed to strengthen markets for better sanitation and hygiene under its flagship ‘Hands-Off’ marketbased sanitation (MBS) development programme. The current approach has evolved over successive phases of investment activity, learning, adaptation and testing with the goal to accelerate sanitation and hygiene access and use for all in Cambodia. We review the strategic direction, key actors, important insights and results of the programme, from the start-up phase of design and testing, to market facilitation, and through the present phase of market system-strengthening. We conclude with reflections on how to strengthen the capacity and relationships of actors in the sanitation market - and in the wider rural sanitation system - in order to ensure that both are dynamic, inclusive and resilient. [author abstract]