The Dutch Government has 2013 introduced a prestigous award the Saraphati Sanitation Award for Entrepreneurship in Sanitation. It is really fantastic that there is now a UN World Toilet Day and an International Award focusing on Sanitation all in November !!!.
This will definately help to push forward what seems to be a cumbersome process to put sanitation on everyones agenda.

Making sustainable buisness out of Sanitaiton is a real challenge and there needs to be innovation and buisnessthinking throughout the sanitation chain and of course some initial funds to invest.

In 2011 BPD WASTE and SEI organized a Seminar during World Water Week focusing on this theme and we found quite challenging to connect with the real sanitation buisness entreprenuers.They usually do not turn up in Stockholm during World Water Week. What we did was to compile a discussion brief on the topic which will give you an overview of the challenging lansdscape Buisness and Sanitation entails (attached)
On Novemeber 5 connection with the Award Ceremony there will be a very interesting workshop on Sanitation and Buisness along the Sanitation Chain(attachment 2 )organized by Agua for All and the Dutch Waterpartnership .

All of you working within this field who already have interesting buisness cases that would fit into the sanitation chain are welcome to present your case to the organizers.
If selected you will be invited to Amsterdam to present your case for a group of financing experts and sanitation practioneers. This is an interesting opportunity for you to get financial support and expertise to develop your case. For more information:

Sanitation for All, the Drive to 2015
Making Sustainable Business out of Sanitation!
International Water Week Amsterdam 2013
Place: RAI Amsterdam
Date: 5 November 2013
Time: 13.45 – 16.30

During the Amsterdam International Water Week 2013, on 2013/11/05 a ‘Sanitation Drive towards 2015’ workshop will be held to boost the attention to the field of sanitation and public health. For this matter, we want to give the opportunity to five business cases in the sanitation chain to give a pitch during the first part of the workshop (13:45h-15:05h). During the second part of the workshop (15:30h-16:30h), a panel of financing experts and sanitation practitioners will discuss the bankability/finance ability of each of the business cases that were presented. From the audience, financial institutions, knowledge institutes, donor organisations and sanitation practitioners will attend the pitches and the panel discussion. The cases we want to give the floor should be able to answer to the following questions:
- What is/was the most critical barrier you removed ?
- What’s the revenue model which makes the intervention financially sustainable?
- How is scaling up foreseen?
- Accessible and affordable for the Base of the Pyramid?
- Where does your intervention fit into the sanitation chain, how are up and downstream components secured?

Would you like to present your business case at the workshop, or do you have questions or reactions regarding the workshop, please contact Ms. Hester Foppen, by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling +31(0)70-3519702.
The workshop will be followed by the Dr. Sarphati Sanitation Award Ceremony ( 16:45 h-17:30 h). For more information on the Award Ceremony please visit the website. logo_sawi.jpg (6.8 K)