Sanitation remains one of the biggest development challenges of our time, and a long-neglected issue associated with taboos and stigma. Despite growing attention and efforts, many top-down
approaches to sanitation have failed, reflecting that simply providing people with a latrine or toilet does not necessarily guarantee its use. Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) which
originated in rural Bangladesh in 2000 offers a more promising alternative, by focusing on facilitating a profound change in people's behaviour through participatory techniques. The approach
has proven immensely successful. It is being implemented in at least 40 countries, and has the potential to address several Millennium Development Goals. However, like any development success
story, challenges still remain regarding scaling up with quality, inclusion of the poorest, and sustainability. There is also a danger that accounts of success may be exaggerated.
This book addresses both the potential and challenges of CLTS by drawing on research in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, as well as experiences from Africa. With chapters by leading scholars
and practitioners in sanitation policy and practice as well as critical reflections from key players in CLTS, Shit Matters offers important insights into the workings of CLTS on the ground,
covering the social, ecological, technological, financial, and institutional dynamics surrounding CLTS with wider lessons for sanitation policy and practice. It will be essential reading for
anyone interested in development, health, and public policy.
Lyla Mehta is a sociologist working on water and sanitation. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and a Professor II at the Department of
International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Synne Movik is a post-doctoral fellow in Global Environmental Governance at the Department of International Environment and Development. Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. She was
previously an independent consultant in the field of water resources, working on water and sanitation issues with the Institute of Development Studies and the STEPS Centre at the University of
Sussex, UK.
