USAID and LIXIL Announce $10 Million to Confront the Global Sanitation Crisis

U.S. Agency for International Development and LIXIL, a global housing and sanitation products multinational company, launched the Partnership for Better Living to expand access to affordable sanitation and hygiene solutions for the underserved in up to 11 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia by 2026. USAID seeks to accelerate the pace of change by growing sustainable sanitation markets that meet the needs of low income households and vulnerable groups.

Building on the Memorandum of Understanding the two organizations signed in October 2020, USAID plans to award up to $10 million over five years to support LIXIL’s goals of reaching 100 million people with basic sanitation and hygiene solutions, improving supply chains, and harnessing innovation. LIXIL will also contribute its own resources to advance the public-private partnership’s objectives. Future activities will create business opportunities for local small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on women entrepreneurs and inclusive markets.

An estimated 1.7 billion people — almost one fifth of people on the planet — live without access to basic, sanitary toilets. Poor sanitation and contaminated water comes with a devastating human toll, as nearly half a million children die every year from preventable diarrhea caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Lack of accessible sanitation facilities and services also results in productivity losses and personal safety risks— especially for women and girls. The world needs to quadruple its current progress to reach universal sanitation access by 2030.

LIXIL’s SATO social business provides award winning and innovative products that have reached over 25 million customers with aspirational and affordable sanitation and hygiene solutions in 41 countries. Through USAID’s Water for the World efforts, 59 million people have gained access to water services and 44 million gained improved sanitation access. Improving access to safe and equitable sanitation is a key objective of the Global Water Strategy, which the U.S. government will update later this year.