A Japanese household products maker, Lixil, and Unicef have announced the extension of their partnership until 2027.
The two said the partnership aims at expanding and intensifying efforts in six countries to reach more communities with safe, clean toilets and hygiene solutions.
Over the past five years, the collaboration has resulted in an increase in the availability and affordability of safe sanitation in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, with 12.7 million people gaining access to basic sanitation and hygiene, they said in a statement.
“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. Thanks to our partnership with Lixil, many communities are not only more aware of the benefits of improved sanitation, they are also more likely to be able to invest in improved toilets and sanitation services.
“Now, we must scale up our efforts to help reach the 3.5 billion people in the world who still do not have access to safely managed sanitation³. Providing access to proper sanitation facilities not only ensures health and wellbeing, but also grants people the opportunity to live with dignity,” said Unicef director of private fundraising and partnerships Carla Haddad Mardini.
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.
The partnership between Unicef and Lixil has tackled these barriers through a variety of activities in each of the supported countries. These include supporting government health workers to advise communities on safe sanitation practices, training masons to install toilets, facilitating microfinance loans, and increasing the supply of affordable hygiene and sanitation products, including through Sato, Lixil's social business.
More details on the partnership’s achievements are presented in the recently published 2018-2023 partnership report. Among other results, it shows how a market-based approach has catalysed investment from the public and private sector to communities, including US$2.2 million in government investment in sanitation and hygiene improvements, and nearly US$4.9 million in loans from banks and microfinance institutions.
“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.”
