Project Lead(s): Sovattha Neou
Issue
Diarrhea is the second leading cause of mortality for children under five worldwide, causing nearly 800,000 deaths per year.
In Cambodia, child sanitation has not been prioritized as the market does not offer attractive, easy-to-use products to dispose of fecal matter safely. Rural areas face even more barriers to sanitation.
Solution
The ‘Child Potties’ project introduced a well-known technology to Cambodian markets in an effort to establish that:
- Infant and young child sanitation (IYCS) products can be marketed in rural areas with sufficient volume and distribution
- Households can consistently use IYCS products for safe disposal of infant and child feces.
They partnered with HappyTap Co. to develop and distribute their product through 12 retailers, with 10 in Kampong Cham and 2 in Phnom Penh. They ran mobile sales roadshows in 7 Cambodian provinces.
The project also conducted a survey examining fecal disposal practices in households consuming IYCS products.
Outcome
The project exceeded its sales goal of 3,000 units, selling over 3,250 child potties. It is estimated that the project positively impacted 4,800 – 5,600 children and their mothers.
Surveys found many rural communities were not aware of the dangers of mismanaging fecal waste. Promotion and marketing significantly improved awareness of the importance of fecal disposal.
The market study found that the team’s child potties were priced lower than competing models, however some customers still bartered for lower prices due to cost-constraints.
The project hopes to continue testing and improving market strategies and raising awareness among parents and caregivers.