CUSTOM CHALLENGE; INDIA
PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED
Low cost and durable squat toilets.
Learn more about the Custom Challenge and why we only fund ideas that focus on distributing proven poverty interventions.
DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION
The sanitation crisis in India is one of massive proportions and the situation is particularly pronounced in Dharavi - one of the world's largest slums - right outside of Mumbai. With approximately one toilet for every 1,1440 people, it is not surprising that upwards of 4,000 cases of disease are reported every day.
The goal is to design a fifteen gallon cylindrical toilet - similar in shape and design to the Well WaterWheel, but with an airtight seal to repel odor and lined with a bio-plastic bag - to be distributed to Dharavi families. The toilet, once filled, will be taken to central collection site to be emptied, cleaned, and returned for continuous use. The waste will them be sold to a local sanitation company that turns it into compost. For every barrel returned, the family will receive 1/3 of the price the waste is sold for, providing an economic incentive for doing so. The other 2/3 of the profit will be used to maintain and expand our operations.
Community hubs that receive these toilets will be an essential forum for allowing partner NGOs a chance to distribute vaccines and health care to Dharavi residents. To determine the location for these sites, Asepsis will team up with the Development Planning Unit of University College London which has pinpointed certain "catalytic sites" within the slum. Using this as reference will ensure that our system is easily integrated into Dharavi.
PILOT AND SCALING GOALS
Prototyping toilet design and establishing network during the first 6 months
Create 1 community hub and distribute 100 toilets to pre-approved families during the pilot phase
Distribute 400 more toilets by the end of year 2
FOUNDING TEAM
Evan Young - Co-Founder
Mas Obuz - Co-Founder