Sato Pans transforming health in Kamuli District in Uganda
Sato pans, derived from "Safe Toilet," are lightweight plastic bowls designed to prevent flies and disease vectors from accessing faeces, reducing the spread of diseases.
In Nankuni village, situated in the Eastern District of Kamuli, Robert Mpadire's well-maintained compound exemplifies the success of UNICEF-driven sanitation and hygiene initiatives. The 52-year-old father of six is a testament to the power of local efforts to transform living standards.
Upon entering Mpadire’s compound, one is struck by well-swept pathways and well-maintained gardens. At the centre of this compound stands a well-kempt brick-and-mortar residential house with an iron roof. Adjacent to the house, an organized kitchen and neatly arranged utensils drying rack contribute to the overall atmosphere of orderliness and hygiene.
But it's what lies behind the house that truly sets Mpadire’s home apart. Two clean latrines, equipped with washable cement floors and fitted with Sato pans, are a symbol of the commitment to sanitation in this household. These latrines have doors, a luxury rarely seen in this village, providing privacy to those who use them.
What's more, a small, three-liter jerrycan is placed inside one latrine to clean the sato pan after use, and the other hangs outside with a piece of soap for users to clean up after using the facilities. There are no unpleasant odours or flies around the pit latrines.
Mpadire's home is a living embodiment of UNICEF's ongoing campaign to promote a market-based sanitation programme, which aims to transform rudimentary pit latrines into standard or basic latrines equipped with Sato pans, cleanable floors, doors, and roofs.
Sato pans, derived from "Safe Toilet," are lightweight plastic bowls designed to prevent flies and disease vectors from accessing faeces, reducing the spread of diseases. They work by allowing waste to flow towards an exit hole covered by a flap, which opens under the pressure of waste, directing it into the pit.
In the broader context of WASH, hygiene and sanitation converge to create a healthier world. The goal of UNICEF's campaign is to “support the district to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation.” The campaign to improve the quality of latrines started in Bugulumbya and Kisozi and is being scaled to all other sub-counties of Kamuli.
Kaiza Winfred, a senior environmental health officer in Kamuli District, remembers a time when open defecation was a grave issue, with people relieving themselves along roads and in rice fields, leading to severe environmental and health problems.
Robert Mpadire, a member of the Nankuni Village Health Team (VHT), recalled a time when he, like many in the village, dug a hole and constructed a mud and wattle structure around it for a latrine. His first latrine, built in 2001, lacked a door and had no pit cover. It attracted swarms of flies and a strong smell.
Mpadire's journey as a VHT began when he was elected as a village volunteer to coordinate health matters between hospitals and the community.
Training in Kasambira, a sub-county in Kamuli, marked a turning point for Mpadire and four other volunteers. They learned about promoting market-based sanitation and hygiene, including the use of Sato pans. The programme encourages households to invest in improving their sanitation facilities and collaborates with volunteer masons, trained by UNICEF, to construct standard latrines.
These masons are paid between 3,000 and 5,000 Ugandan shillings for their work. Sato pans are sold for about Sh15,000.
Mpadire acquired his first basic pit latrine after agreeing to a Sato pan installation demonstration at his home. In 2022, he purchased another Sato pan.
With the Sato pans in place, Mpadire became a hygiene evangelist within his community. While many are responding positively, some are still hesitant to add doors to their improved pit latrines, considering it an unnecessary expense.
"People are responding to the gospel," Mpadire said. "We always tell people that they can just use a fibre mat as an improvised door," he said.
Bugogolo village, which borders Nankuni village, is home to another sanitation champion, Naigaga Phida, a 54-year-old mother of eight.
Within her compound is a well-built double-stance pit latrine, free of odour and flies. Phida relies on improvised sanplats, plastic covers hooked on a stick placed over the pit latrine holes.
Phida has designated washing areas, waste disposal pits, and a meticulous sorting system for garbage. Plastics are removed for separate disposal, while the rest is burned when dried.
Phida recounted, "Four years ago, I used a fibre mat as an improvised door; the floor wasn't cemented, and the roof was thatched with grass, which would rot and cave in over time." Although the roof remains grass-thatched, she has managed to ensure both privacy and hygiene.
Paul Mulumba Barya, a mason, speaks with a sense of pride about his work. "I started training with UNICEF in 2022, and since then, I have installed over 20 Sato pans," he says.
In 2016, Kamuli was quite different. "We had a low latrine coverage, as low as 71 percent," recalls Kaiza Winfred. Fast forward to the present: latrine coverage has risen to 86 per cent, impacting 116,216 households. Basic sanitation is still at 23 percent," Kaiza explains.
Kamuli District is home to about 486,319 people, according to the National Housing Census of 2014.
The drive towards better sanitation is part of a larger vision, as Stephen Wandera, the UNICEF WASH Officer, outlines. "Our goal is to achieve universal, safely managed sanitation by 2030. It’s an ambitious target, requiring communities to upgrade their latrines," he asserts.
