A solution for the sanitation crisis in Peru

• In Peru, 25% of the population, or 1 in 4 people, do not have access to a safe bathroom (INEI). In Lima Metropolitan Area alone, this affects over 128,000 households.
• Without any other alternative, most people resort to using pit latrines or latrines, negatively impacting their health and well-being, as well as increasing environmental pollution levels.
• 50% of anemia cases are associated with lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (United Nations).
• Families without access to the public water and sewerage network spend, on average, S/790 more per year on water than those with direct access (SUNASS, 2023).

People are more exposed to contracting diseases, which threatens their attendance at school or work. This, in turn, affects their learning outcomes and productivity, as well as their access to better wages. In the long term, it undermines their ability to overcome poverty and/or cope with crises (World Bank, 2023).

Since 2012, Sanima has been working to provide an alternative, safe, and sustainable sanitation solution to households in urban settlements in Lima, Peru, that still do not have access to the public water and sewerage network.

Sanima is the pioneering organization in South America to implement this alternative solution called Container-Based Sanitation (CBS), which is also implemented in various regions in Africa and Asia characterized by complex geography, water scarcity, and high population density.

In 2018, CBS was recognized by the United Nations as a safe alternative solution to close the sanitation provision gap in different parts of the world.

Sanima’s purpose is to ensure that everyone in Peru can exercise their right to safe, dignified, and sustainable sanitation.