Sanitation marketing of SaTo Pan in Ethiopia: No bad smell, no flies, or cockroaches in the latrine
Zewdnesh Wolde is the first person in Yem woreda, Deri village of Southern Nations and Nationalities Region, to upgrade her latrine to a basic service level using a SaTo Pan.
“When I saw the product on promotion in my village,” said Zewdinesh, “I was so excited, I asked for the price and placed an order immediately, thinking that it might be finished quickly before I own it. I have received orientation from the health workers regarding the benefits of installing the product in my latrine. I was eager to install and start utilizing it”.
Zewdnesh, a 43-year-old woman and a mother of seven children (4 boys and 3 girls), received technical advice from a trained carpenter working in her small town who produced and sold her a wooden slab to fit the SaTo Pan. “I bought the wooden slab at the cost of 200-birr which is a much lower price as compared to a concrete slab costing 2,000-birr. It is also durable as the area is not prone to termites. He has also guided me on how to make the leveling while installing it in my latrine. Accordingly, my husband and the children have installed the SaTo Pan in the latrine”.
Zewdinesh is so amazed that her latrine has no bad smell, flies, or cockroaches coming in and going out after installing the wooden slab and SaTo Pan. “Now, I am growing vegetables close to the latrine as I don’t have any issue of contamination from the latrine. The other benefit I have gotten from the SaTo Pan installed latrine is that my small children are not scared to use the latrine as they don’t have any issues falling into the pit. I am also confident to send them alone”.
As a pioneer in improving her latrine with the SaTo Pan, Zewdinesh in the village has positively influenced her neighbors to install and benefit from it like her. Twelve households around her followed her example, have installed SaTo Pans in their latrines and are enjoying its benefit. “Finally,” said Zewdnesh, “I am so thankful to whoever brings this product to my village and to the health workers who constantly work for the well-being and betterment of their community. My final request to UNICEF and woreda health office will be to bring more product options not only for the latrines but also for handwashing, showering, and so on”.
Yem is one among the model woredas in the region in terms of demand creation and community mobilization by the woreda health office with the due technical and financial support of UNICEF. Out of 1000 SaTo Pans, 950 have been sold and installed in household latrines in less than one year. An additional order of 700 pans is currently in the pipeline. The commitment by the health workers is impressive. The plan is to achieve 80% basic sanitation coverage by 2025.
