Publications
Publications on sanitation by IRC, as well as articles, papers and publications published by other organisations.
Background paper on measuring WASH and food hygiene practices – Definition of goals to be tackled post 2015 by the Joint Monitoring Programme
This hygiene background paper reviews the case for the importance of hand, food and menstrual hygiene as candidates for post-MDG goal and target setting. In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly will be asked to decide what development goals the international community should seek beyond 2015. The decision will be made based on a proposal that will be submitted to the General Assembly. The purpose of the background paper is to stimulate and inform discussion, but not to make any claims for consensus nor suggest that any of the definitions, indicators, goals or targets proposed are final.
Read more or download Hygiene_background_paper_MDG_JMP_post_2015.pdf (1.4 MB)
Photo story on constructing and emptying a fossa alterna
This photo story shows you how to construct a fossa alterna, how to empty it and how to process the compost. After 12 - 18 months of composting it is safe to empty a fossa alterna toilet and use the compost as fertilizer for your garden soil.
Gender- and poor-inclusive community-managed sanitation and hygiene in urban Indonesia
Community empowerment is important in urban sanitation development, but at the same time, community empowerment requires that the social and technical institutions in charge of empowerment and sanitation adopt new skills and techniques for working with communities. Without the right skills to assist the communities, build their skills, and provide some minimal monitoring of performance afterwards, there is a risk of over-expecting what a community can manage
Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion for the Urban Poor
Recommendations from the East Africa Practitioners’ Workshop on Pro-Poor Urban Sanitation and Hygiene, Kigali, Rwanda, March 2011.
Read more or download Kigali S&H Booklet 2011.pdf (1.2 MB)
Suggestions for strengthening Community-Led Total Sanitation
While Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a relative success in a growing number of countries, there are also some difficulties in sustaining the momentum and results with equity: freedom from open defecation, safe and durable toilets, hygienic use of toilets etc. There are also possibilities to include gender on equity and the poor more structurally than is currently done. This paper is a summary of potential steps for addressing these issues. It draws on the experiences of IRC's thematic group on sanitation.
CLTS_WASH_Sanitation_2008.pdf (133.1 kB)
Making sanitation and hygiene services more gender equitable and fairer to the poor
City sanitation strategy planning in Indonesia focuses on equal involvement of women and men in all sanitation services. In the six cities taking part in an ISSDP programme poor women, men and children work in the informal sector for solid waste collection, segregation and recycling, as labourer and some as entrepreneurs. The work is an important source of income for poor families and helps reduce poverty.
Read more or download ISSDP Factsheet 7 Gender and Poverty Inclusive CSS.pdf (441.4 kB)
Beyond Construction - Papers
Papers presented in a 3-day learning and sharing workshop on sanitation and hygiene, from 29-31 January 2008, in Gazipur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. These papers are published in a joint publication called Beyond construction: use by all, by WaterAid and IRC with a foreword by Jon Lane - Executive Director of the WSSCC.
The publication can be downloaded as one single document and as separate files covering one paper each.
Review of safe disposal of faeces
Overview of research on: the efficacy of safe excreta disposal; effective behavioural change programming; facilities for disposal of faeces: the hardware; enabling environment; and lessons learned. It is written by Kathleen Shordt of IRC for the Hygiene Improvement Project (HIP). This project is funded by USAID and supported by the Academy for Educational Development (AED). Incl. 5 p. bibliography.
Literature Review: Small-Scale Private Sector and CBO Participation in Human Excreta Management in Latin America
This literature review presents the literature available on private small-scale independent providers' (SSIPs) and community based organisations' (CBOs) involvement in the coverage, management and commercial (re-)use of human waste in Latin America.
Read more or download LitReview_human_waste_manag.pdf (273.4 kB)
Sanitation ladder
Seven drawings indicating the types of toilets to choose from. From low-cost options to higher cost options. Source: COSI Foundation for Technical Cooperation, Sri Lanka. It can be used as training material in discussions on technology selection.
San ladder SL_lowres.doc (197.0 kB)
