Clean Communities - A practical guide to building and maintaining toilets in the Pacific

This manual is a simple, easy-to-use guide that can assist in the construction and maintenance of toilets in Pacific communities. The information in this manual can help build demand for improved sanitation in communities, while also raising awareness of other key hygiene behaviours such as handwashing  with soap. 

This resource aims to support the construction of toilets in Pacific communities to improve sanitation. It can be used by community groups, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), government, private enterprises or donor bodies. Given the technical level of this resource, readers do require a basic skill set and previous construction experience.

The handbook contains information on:

• the importance of toilets
• the variety of available toilet designs, including: advantages and disadvantages  of each design; how to construct each toilet; the materials and tools needed; suggested location; and maintenance
• promotional posters that can be put  inside toilets.

WASH education in Pacific communities

Live & Learn Environmental Education is working with local communities in the Pacific to establish ‘sanitation enterprises’: demand-driven businesses that provide sanitation services (such as toilets) to improve sanitation in the Pacific islands. Based on the notion of ‘sanitation marketing’, the strength and success of these businesses pivots on the value the community places on toilets and improved sanitation.

As part of this process, a suite of educational and community sanitation and hygiene resources have been developed. These include:

• Discovering healthy living: Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) in Pacific communities
• Putting your waste in the right place: A Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach for the Pacific Islands
• Building strong and healthy communities: Setting up a sanitation enterprise in your community
• Setting up and managing a small enterprise: A guide for the Pacific
• Clean communities: A practical guide to building and maintaining toilets in the Pacific islands
• Hands up for hygiene! – teaching hygiene behaviour in Pacific schools: Teacher’s guide
• Germ-buster: Student workbook
• Posters/board game/stickers

These resources can be used by schools,communities, NGOs and governments to improve sanitation and promote hygiene behaviour in the Pacific islands.