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Updated: Friday 31 March 2006

Ecological Sanitation activities in Niono and Segou, Mali

Inception phase and consortium forming

In order to promote ecological sanitation ALPHALOG has formed a consortium with AIFD,PACT and CRRA, respectively a local NGO working on sanitation, a GTZ programme on decentralisation and a research institutionfor the implementation of the ISSUE programme in the Segou region.

The inception phase of the ISSUE had resulted in a clear understanding of the objectives of the programme by the various actors and to confirm the involvement the consortium was formalised. The consortium then concentrated on technical and planning aspects. On the technical side, they selected a design for a toilet that would be suitable for the region. Criteria for selection were the size, the material to be used and the costs involved in building. On the planning side, the process of participation of the different actors was defined, who were involved in decision-making, how to go about on the financial participation and how was the programme to be monitored and evaluated.

Activities

  • research on co-composting
  • development of appropriate toilet
  • building of 100 ecosan toilets
  • building 20 co-composting units
  • setting up a micro finance programme
  • development of campaigns for schools

Several activities have been set in motion now. For one the private composting company PROFEBA has been found willing to join the programme and to carry out a research on co-composting. At the same time an awareness campaign on importance of sanitation and the possibilities of ecological sanitation is set up to give education on ecosan in schools.

The plan of the consortium to finance 60 ecosan toilets inspired The Netherlands Embassy to commit itself to financing another 40 ecosan toilets and 20 co-composting units in Niono. This made it possible to raise the number of planned ecosan toilets to 100. Furthermore, negotiations with a number of banks and microfinance institutions are ongoing to set up a guaranteed fund for enterprises working in waste and sanitation.