In Bushera, Southern Ethiopia, Tesfaye, a skilled mason, is transforming community health one latrine at a time. He upgrades traditional mud-floored latrines, which absorb urine and attract flies, into hygienic spaces with durable concrete floors and SATO Pans.

Tesfaye's journey began in 2015 after receiving specialized training in concrete slab manufacturing. He co-founded the Lakilina Sanitation Enterprise, which successfully sold and installed over 7,000 concrete slabs in ten years. However, their high cost and weight limited access for remote households. The introduction of lightweight, affordable plastic latrine products, like the SATO Pan, was a game-changer. This innovation made latrine upgrades accessible to even the most remote communities, and in one year alone, Tesfaye's team installed over 1,000 SATO Pans.

Despite this success, Tesfaye lacked a dedicated space to showcase his products. Recognizing his commitment, "Make a Splash!" (MaS!), a global partnership between UNICEF and LIXIL, provided financial assistance to realize his dream of opening a shop where people could see, learn, and buy better latrine solutions. This new hub allows customers to see and learn about modern sanitation solutions firsthand. Tesfaye plans to expand his inventory from two plastic latrine products to include other construction and hygiene essentials.

"It's incredible to see people transitioning from open defecation to proper sanitation," Tesfaye shares. "This work is not just about improving latrines; it's also my livelihood. It has helped me improve my living standard, build a better house, and send my children to a better school."

The MaS! partnership is strengthening sanitation markets across eight woredas (districts) in four regions of Southern Ethiopia. By building sustainable market systems, the project aims to improve the coverage of basic and safely managed sanitation, empowering communities to invest in decent sanitation and ensuring a healthier future for all. The initiative also aims to support the progress of SDG target 6.2, which aims to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations by 2030.

Story and image courtesy of UNICEF Ethiopia

In Nigeria's Oyo State, Abimbola Balogun, a toilet business owner (TBO) known as "Oni Toilet" (the toilet person), is transforming her community. Her mission is to end open defecation and improve hygiene, one toilet at a time.

"I've always loved clean toilets," she says, but never imagined it could become a life-changing business until attending a training organized by UNICEF and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA). This training provided her with construction skills and introduced her to a microfinance loan program supported by UNICEF and the Oyo State Government. This programme enables her to build affordable toilets for families who previously considered them out of reach.

This affordability was crucial. "At first, many people doubted they could afford a toilet," Abimbola explains. "But when I show up with cement, rings, blocks and SATO pans, they are amazed at how quickly their new toilet is ready," she says.

The need is urgent. In Oyo State, 54% of the population still practices open defecation, and only 10% have access to safely managed sanitation. This lack of facilities disproportionately affects women and girls, who risk harassment when seeking privacy, especially at night. Poor sanitation also fuels the spread of diseases like cholera.

Abimbola focuses on assisting vulnerable community members, including retirees, single mothers, and widows. "I help them get loans with flexible repayment plans," she explains. In the last four years, she has built over 127 toilets, benefiting more than 800 people. "The gratitude I receive... is priceless."

Despite challenges like inflation making loan repayments difficult, Abimbola remains determined. She dreams of establishing a central sewage system to convert waste into fertilizer and biofuel. "If we manage waste properly, we can even make money from it!" she says. For her, a toilet signifies dignity, safety, and health. "Toilets change lives. I want to keep helping people access proper sanitation while growing my business."

Image and story courtesy of UNICEF Nigeria

For Imani Ramadhani in Tanzania's Iringa region, life was once defined by the daily risks of poor sanitation. Her family used a makeshift toilet that "had no doors or roofs, allowing dirty air and flies to spread". This is a harsh reality for many, as nearly 44% of Tanzania's population uses unimproved toilets.

The catalyst for change was knowledge, delivered through the "Make a Splash!" partnership by LIXIL and UNICEF. "We first heard about this campaign from the Village Office and through the media, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a clean environment and constructing proper toilets," Imani says. This crucial information sparked a significant behavior change in her community. Imani explains, "Once we learned about the benefits of the improved toilets, we gradually started to change".

This new awareness created demand for safer options, a need met by skilled masons like Jasco Ludasi. "Life was difficult because of the challenging environment we lived in, as we relied on poorly constructed pit toilets," he says. Jasco now installs SATO products, making the community’s desire for change a reality.

The transformation has been profound. For Imani, it is about more than a new toilet; it's about securing her family's future. She concludes, "We didn't realize that traditional toilets were causing diseases which affected our health and productivity. But since the introduction of the improved toilets, we have stayed healthy and strong".

Story, image and video: courtesy of UNICEF Tanzania

In villages across India, a quiet revolution in sanitation is taking place, driven by skilled individuals like Jayanti Andhua. As a mason in Sambalpur, she is not just building toilets; she is constructing a healthier, more dignified future for her community.

India has made impressive gains in ending open defecation through the government-led Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The focus has now shifted to a more complex challenge: ensuring that existing toilets are safely managed. This often means retrofitting unhygienic single-pit toilets into safer, twin-pit systems.

Through the "Make a Splash!" partnership, Jayanti received specialized training to lead this change. She learned how to upgrade toilets using innovative products like the SATO i-Trap, converting them into significantly enhanced twin-pit models that allow waste to be safely treated on-site. This has not only improved her access to fair and decent work but has made her a vital agent for change in her community.

Jayanti’s expertise, combined with awareness campaigns run through women's self-help groups and "toilet clinics," is inspiring a crucial shift in household behavior. Families, now more aware of the health benefits, are increasingly choosing to invest their own resources in upgrading their facilities. This move is supported by improved access to financing through microfinance institutions and government programs, which the partnership has helped facilitate.

Story and image courtesy of UNICEF India

In Indonesia, a country where nearly 90% of people have toilets, the sanitation challenge is complex and often invisible. The problem lies not in access, but in safety; many septic tanks are improperly built, leading to environmental pollution and health risks because of widespread confusion about what "safely managed" truly means. The sanitation market was a disconnected puzzle of households, suppliers, and service providers.

To solve this, the "Make a Splash!" partnership took a deeply collaborative approach, working hand-in-hand with the Indonesian government. The partnership helped establish a national target for safely managed sanitation and supported its inclusion in the government's national development plan. At the local level, it supported the creation of new regulations for desludging septic tanks and even assisted a city mayor in introducing a sanitation tariff to fund these vital services for all residents.