Dear Rakib Ahmed,

I read on the ITN-BUET website about one of ITN's ongoing projects on SanMark-CITY: Intelligent Design in Urban Sanitation Marketing.* Could you share with us here the progress/result of the project? What are the main challenges you (and your team) faced during the project? Is there any spesific reason in choosing the spesific toilet technologies?

Here is the project description as copied from ITN's website:

The SanMark CITY is designed to explore the critical gap that currently exists in introducing, adapting, and sustaining affordable on-site sanitation technologies on a large scale. The potentiality of four on-site composting toilet technologies will be explored under SanMark CITY for slums in urban Bangladesh. These are- Tiger Toilet, Sun-Mar, Enbiolet, and the Biofill. Starting with a Human Centered Design (HCD) approach to develop appropriate designs for these four toilet technologies and by demonstrating their technical potential, SanMark CITY will additionally develop production and business models engaging national level private sector agencies. Also, the learning will be disseminated at regional level informing key stakeholders in the public, private and non-government sectors on how best to support the diffusion of such technologies for maximum impact.

Regards,
Ainul

* A project with the same title is in the SuSanA project database here:
www.susana.org/en/knowledge-hub/projects/database/details/124

We would like to welcome International Training Network (ITN- BUET)
from Bangladesh as a new SuSanA partner organisation!

The following text is taken from their application form and was written by the partner organisation themselves.

Description and Activities in Sustainable Sanitation:
Human Resources Development (HRD) to support water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector activities in the country is an important element in the arena of development from national perspective. Primarily through an approach of skill transfer from all dimensions, with social, technical, financial, institutional front, etc. the International Training Network (ITN) Centre started its journey to attain the envisaged goal of capacity building in the WSS sector. The centre was established within BUET in November 1996 with funding support from Danida which started functioning in January 1997. Conceptually, ITN renders its services on a multiplier effect. It takes care of curricula and syllabi; produces master trainers; develops teaching and training materials; develop R&D skills in the sector relating to socio-economic context of the country, undertakes research and brings out publication to fill up knowledge gaps. The services that ITN provides to support the development of the WSS sector are unique in the sense that no other stakeholders are rendering services of this kind and level. Direct physical and financial interventions of ITN though very small but its multiplier effect and impact are very significant. The outputs of ITN centre make other stakeholders initiatives meaningful, effective, productive and sustainable. The government and NGOs, External Support Organizations, private sector, academic institutions often request for ITN's services. The ITN Centre has a special niche for capacity building in the WatSan sector. While the centre limits itself to training of key personnel of sector stakeholders through appropriate specialized courses, the benefit of the training activities will, in general, accrue to workers involved in community development and hygiene/ health promotion, NGO staff and women. The centre is motivated to identify the gaps in the sector and develop training packages including courses, modules and materials according to the sector need.

Contact person:
Rakib Uddin Ahmed

Website
itn.buet.ac.bd

[Posted by Pelumi]