In a revolutionary new project to test a social business model for providing household toilet services, SOIL is building 100 toilets in Haiti. Donations will support the initial cost of the toilets, and then users will pay a small monthly fee to cover waste collection and treatment. SOIL's composting treatment sites generate rich, organic agricultural-grade compost as a by-product of waste treatment. The compost is sold to support the SOIL's sanitation program and increase food security.
Only 10% of Haitians have access to improved sanitation, by far the lowest percentage in the western hemisphere. When no toilets or sanitation services are available, human waste becomes a health hazard to both individuals and the environment. This lack of access to sanitation is one of the key reasons that the accidental introduction of cholera after the earthquake has resulted in an on-going epidemic that has already killed over 8,300 people and sickened more than 650,000.
SOIL toilet owners pay a small monthly fee for a composting toilet, which SOIL services twice a week. The waste is removed to a SOIL treatment facility where it is safely transformed into rich, agricultural-grade compost. Currently serving 2,655 people, SOIL's household toilet project has a waiting list of over 575 families who wish to improve their own health, and that of their community, through access to diginified sanitation.
Building 100 additional toilets will give over 550 people immediate access to improved sanitation. In addition, expanding the program will help SOIL demonstrate to the government and private sector that we can affordably and sustainably provide sanitation services in the world's most impoverished communities. We believe this project is the critical first step to help Haiti sustainably achieve 100% sanitation coverage in the future.
