Between 2022 and 2023, the collaboration has resulted in a significant increase in the availability and affordability of safe sanitation in Ethiopia with over 800,000 people gaining access to basic sanitation and hygiene (over 470,000 through sanitation subsidy and over 360,000 through market-based sanitation).

A lack of access to safe sanitation and hygiene has a devastating effect on children and their families around the world. Every day, 1,000 children under the age of five die from diseases linked to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Through the partnership with LIXIL, many communities are not only more aware of the benefits of improved sanitation but also more likely to be able to invest in improved toilets and sanitation services.

Most sanitation improvements in lower-income countries are the result of people using their own money to buy a toilet of their choice from a supplier. However, poorer communities face barriers to making such investments, including a lack of affordable products, an absence of skilled labourers to install toilets, and family cash flow constraints.

“Our partnership with UNICEF is a cornerstone of LIXIL’s commitment to improving global health through innovative sanitary and hygiene solutions,” said Jin Montesano, Chair of LIXIL’s Impact Strategy Committee. “By renewing the partnership, we reaffirm our dedication to creating market-based strategies that provide safe and accessible sanitation and hygiene where they are needed most.”

The partnership between UNICEF and LIXIL has tackled these barriers through a variety of activities including supporting government health workers to advise communities on safe sanitation practices, training masons to install toilets, facilitating micro-finance loans, and increasing the supply of affordable hygiene and sanitation products through SATO, LIXIL’s social business. Six financing mechanisms or products were made available to consumers through this partnership