Phase 1: Water Purification
iDE's initial work in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) sector focused on water purification in an effort to decrease the prevalence of diseases and water-borne illnesses in rural communities. iDE has a history of working with various water filtration systems, including the Shapla Arsenic Filter in Bangladesh and the Ceramic Water Purifier (CWP) in Cambodia. iDE's proven water purification products are designed to be affordable for the rural poor, retailing for between $7 and $22 depending upon the model, and are always distributed through the local private sector in each country.
These successes have now inspired the creation of Hydrologic, an independent social enterprise owned by iDE, whose mission is to become the leading distributor of effective and affordable WaSH products throughout Cambodia. Hydrologic has recently built a production facility that manufactures two models of the CWP, currently employs 80 staff members, and plans to become a profitable business by April 2012.
Phase 2: Social Marketing for Improved Sanitation
After noting the impact of our market-based development approach in the productive water sector, iDE entered the WaSH space with the goal of introducing demand-driven models to improve the rural poor's access to quality domestic water and improved sanitary practices. Through multiple projects in Cambodia and Vietnam, iDE developed an innovative approach to both supply and demand sides for sanitation products and services. Termed Sanitation Marketing (SanMark), this approach generates demand by promoting products as aspirational goods (similar to a television or cell phone), and employing humor and shock value to attract the attention of the target market. SanMark also demonstrates the potential of rural markets and supporting local manufacturers, retailers, and distributors to expand their businesses through profit on product sales. SanMark has thus emerged as a highly effective approach to scaling up improved rural sanitation by facilitating behavior change among target markets, and connecting consumers with effective, affordable products and services. iDE is currently implementing SanMark projects in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, and is actively pursuing further international expansion.
Phase 3: Latrines
In 2003, iDE Vietnam implemented our first project involving sanitary latrines, employing the Sanitation Marketing approach to quadruple latrine installation rates without hardware subsidy. Though succcessful, iDE learned through this project that locally available sanitary latrines were priced well beyond the reach of the large majority of our clients. In an effort to capitalize on this market deficiency, iDE Cambodia used human centered design principles to produce an effective and affordable latrine designed around the needs of the rural poor. The Easy Latrine retails for $35, can be produced by a single manufacturer, and can be installed in one day by users themselves. In a pilot project in two Cambodian provinces, iDE coupled the new Easy Latrine design with our innovative Sanitation Marketing project to facilitate the sale of more than 21,000 unsubsidized sanitary latrines in 16 months. The success of this project has prompted significant additional donor investment from the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Stone Family Foundation to scale nationally in Cambodia, and has laid the foundation for further international expansion.
Phase 4: Hand Washing
Increasing the practice of hand washing with soap in rural communities has the potential to reduce the prevalence of diarrhea by 50 percent and respiratory infections by nearly 25 percent. In an effort to further improve the wellbeing of the rural poor, iDE Vietnam designed an affordable and effective hand washing device. The device holds enough water to support a family of four for 24 hours, meaning that piped water within the house is not required. It is made from durable, weather-resistant material with a perforated faucet to ensure efficient use of water, and a plastic tray underneath to store soap and allow for drainage of wastewater. The product is currently in development to further reduce the cost, after which it will be ready for market. When commercialized, iDE Vietnam will use the successful Sanitation Marketing approach to generate demand and develop a local supply chain for the product.
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