On Monday in Stockholm, Sanergy was recognized as the Social Innovator of the Year by the Swedish Development Agency’s Innovations against Poverty! We are deeply honored by the recognition. IAP currently has 40 projects in its portfolio and Sanergy was recognized for having the highest development impact coupled with strongest commercial viability.

At Sanergy, we always say, “Our work starts with a great product.” We can thank IAP for making sure that we are offering the best toilet around. IAP has supported Sanergy’s work in developing the 2^nd and 3^rd iterations of the Fresh Life Toilet design, which now uses less concrete in production, can be assembled much more rapidly, and the waste cartridges can be removed with greater ease. Next up, we are looking to improve our design for children and for people who prefer seated toilets, such as the elderly. As we grow, we need to have a suite of products designed for every type of customer that we serve.

The IAP conference offered us the opportunity to meet some fantastic entrepreneurs including Sanjay Shah, who runs Finaccess, which is developing an MPESA + then some for Nepal; and Andreas Renner, whose company, elimentaire sarl, is increasing the production of moringa  – a highly nutritious, locally grown crop in Madagascar – and distributing it to low-income populations. We also met one of our inspirations – Daudi Were of the Ushahaidi team – who has led the movement around crisis mapping and first response work in Nairobi.

Thank you to the IAP + PriceWaterhouseCooper teams that have worked with us as we scale in Nairobi.

One year ago, our first Fresh Life Toilet was installed in Nairobi’s urban slums. It was World Toilet Day, a day set aside to raise awareness for 40% of the world’s population lacking access to hygienic toilets. 365 days later, and our network has grown to include  129 Fresh Life Toilets that have served more than 1 million residents with the provision of hygienic sanitation.

Today, the media, the private sector, development organizations and civil society will again come together for another World Toilet Day, advocating for better sanitation options worldwide. In commemoration, Sanergy held a day of festivities in the informal settlement of Mukuru Kwa Ruben, where our network of Fresh Life Toilets are based.

Read the rest of this entry »

Having previously spent time in Rwanda and Kenya, studying and doing research for her BA in African Studies, Miranda Lewis now coordinates Sanergy’s Sales Team. Her job involves finding ways to grow our network of franchisees and address the sanitation crisis she saw all too clearly in other parts of East Africa. She reflects below on finding new market opportunities in the slums.

The first time I came to Africa in 2008, I volunteered for an orphanage in Rwanda. The bathroom there was no more than a tiny room with a small hole in the middle of the floor. The kids peed all over the floor, and many of them didn’t wear shoes. I would use the toilet once in the morning before leaving for the orphanage, and then hold it for 6 hours until I got home. I never expected that the conditions I experienced in Rwanda would come full circle in my work selling toilets with Sanergy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Between 1883 and 1929, American industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, was constructing public libraries. Lots of them. And the construction of these libraries revolved around what was later known as “The Carnegie Formula,” wherein the community that was to receive a library had to put forward matching contributions. The residents had to demonstrate the need for a library, provide the building site, give a portion of the construction costs to support ongoing operations, and the library had to be open to everyone.

This way, the residents would have an equal stake in the library’s construction and management, and equal ownership in its benefit to the community. Carnegie went on to build 2,509 public libraries all over the world which provided a great service to millions of people.

Read the rest of this entry »