Petra Bongartz

More details/abstract: Chapter 16. At AfricaSan 3 in Kigali it was clear that in short three years since the last AfricaSan conference, and in only five years since its initial rollout in Africa, Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) had spread and diversified to become more embedded in Africa than in any other region. This chapter looks at the progress and maturing of CLTS in Africa. It introduces innovations and adaptations, poses questions and challenges and suggests possible ways forward as CLTS goes to scale on the continent.

about two billion people living in rural areas are adversely affected by open defecation. in many countries the Millennium development goal for sanitation is off track. Community-led Total Sanitation (ClTS) is a radically different approach to rural sanitation and has shown promising successes where traditional rural sanitation programmes have failed. unlike traditional programmes, ClTS does not involve providing subsidies for individual household hardware. in ClTS, communities conduct their own analysis, come to their own conclusions, and take their own action. all gain, especially women, adolescent girls and children. ClTS is now in over 20 countries, but its spread faces obstacles. This in Focus Policy Briefing asks how can we maximise the huge potential for transforming rural sanitation that this approach offers? What has worked? What hinders progress? What should be done? Beyond Subsidies – Triggering a Revolution in Rural Sanitation