Saleem, these are very good points about Pakistan. Lack of sanitaton is a big factor why girls drop out of school. We'll hear more about that during the debate, due to kick off in just over 30 minutes..
We need to think about sanitation differently. The business opportunities associated with sanitation are endless but finding the right business opportunity in the right context is important.
Jack Sim, the World Toilet Organization, and many others have done a great job of breaking the taboo around sanitation but more needs to be done to raise awareness about the issue. Advocacy is needed
to raise the profile of sanitation on the agendas of Ministers of Finance to make sanitation a priority.
It's a big question indeed and perhaps one that pervades everything to do with development - relying on donor support is not going to solve these issues.
So, national governments are NOT making sanitation a priority? I'm shocked, honestly!
Can you tell us a bit more about Malawi, Rosemary?
@AnishaShankar @stevenSugden - is the answer in a more market-led approach?
Great point @Anisha Shankar - we want toilets to be sexy enough that people want to buy them. It is important to do market assessments to ensure the products match not only the needs but what the customers desire as well.
A question from Pragya Lamsal: Can we create pressure on national govt through universal instruments to construct toilets in public places?
Advocacy both at the grassroots level, through media and campaigns, as well as grasstops, though direct outreach to ministry officials, is a way to encourage increases in budget line items for sanitation as well as make it political priority.
StevenSugden
