Organization: UNICEF

The village Iorduu has recently become Open Defecation free. This means that it has gone through a process called ‘Community Approaches to Total Sanitation’ in which each family builds their own latrine from local materials and commits to good sanitation practices.

Martin Dewaun Ayoo's humble carpentry business has seen a buzz of activity in what is normally a slow trade in cabinets and doors. The reason is he's invented a ventilated drop hole cover for the pit latrine– a simple device that takes just about an hour to complete. The whole community wants one to complete their homemade toilets.

Since 2008, across Nigeria, the number of communities declared open defecation free has increased from just 15 to over 4500.

Keywords: empowering communities, open defecation, sanitation

Location: Nigeria, Africa

Corresponding websites:

>> Video on the initiative
>> How can we ensure ‘sanitation and water for all’?