WASH and Grow!
Bringing ecological sanitation to rural Kenya
Social responsibility has been important at Mifuko from its beginning. Mifuko Trust was established as a non-profit NGO founded in 2012 to realise their vision. Mifuko Trust received good news in 2021, with project support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for its WASH and Grow! project. The project goals were to raise awareness about ecological sanitation and create business opportunities in rural parts of Kenya. The project contributes to healthier communities by improving living conditions and livelihoods. It brings together a diverse group of actors: 24 women’s savings groups in Kenya, three Finnish NGOs and a company. The implementation of the project is being carried out by women's groups and Mifuko Trust, supported by the expertise of the Global Dry Toilet Association (GDTF) and Ukumbi ry, an expert in sustainable architecture. The key development problems addressed by the project are poor sanitary conditions and degrading soil that hampers small-scale farming. These problems increase illness and undermine food security, leading to increased poverty and loss of livelihood. The project organises business skills training, workshops and training of 24 sanitation ambassadors. The goal is to construct 24 ecological dry toilets for demonstration and use. The project duration is 3 years during it aims to create business opportunities around ecological sanitation.
