21 March 2013: The World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) has reported that it is supporting a number of local entrepreneurs working on the expansion of sanitation facilities, thereby improving health conditions of Indonesian rural citizens, particularly children.

The Program offers training and assistance to facilitate the expansion of business opportunities for sanitation entrepreneurs, who, subsequently, offer installation of household sanitation facilities and better conditions of payment for poor population.

According to the WSP, around 100 million people in Indonesia lack proper sanitation facilities and 66 million still practice open defecation, a key cause of children’s disease. Moreover, a World Bank study estimates that poor sanitation habits and lack of access to safe water reduces the Indonesian GDP by 2.4% annually.

The WSP initiative is part of the Total Sanitation and Sanitation Marketing (TSSM) project, currently being implemented in Indonesia, India and Tanzania, and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [WSP Press Release] [TSSM Project Website] [Publication: Economic Assessment of Sanitation Interventions in Indonesia]