Mrs. Satukah Lamin from Banyuputih Kidul village in Lumajang district can bid farewell to her old squat toilet without septic tank now.
“I had an accident when using my old toilet, so I had to change it. Thanks to the microcredit program of KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot, now I have a new toilet with septic tank,” mentioned Mrs. Lamin, who is also a member of the KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Lamin was not the only cooperative member who did not have healthy latrines (latrines with septic tanks).
The Chairperson of the KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot, Mrs. Titin Umila, claimed that many of the cooperative members already have toilets, but without septic tanks. Instead, they dispose the wastewater from the toilets into the rivers.
“Many of the cooperative members, who have yet to have the septic tanks, are low income community. They cannot afford to pay the construction cost in cash, so they need a more affordable financing mechanism,” said Mrs. Umila.
With USAID IUWASH PLUS’ assistance that has been carried out since November 2019, KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot is now able to develop a microfinance mechanism for WASH products.
The project’s assistance included trainings on how to develop microcredit features for WASH. In February 2020, KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot launched the WASH microfinancing mechanism, named Al-Nazifah, to serve the members in the three branch offices i.e., Jatiroto, Kepuharjo, and Yosowilangun.
Through this mechanism, KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot sells latrines and septic tanks, which also includes the construction services, in credit which ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 million rupiahs to the members in need. For the construction services, the cooperative works with the local masons.
As of September 2020, KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot has sold six healthy toilets to its members, who repay the credit in installments per month up to ten times.
“We will nourish the WASH microcredit because it is helpful for our members to maintain their health and meet their sanitation needs,” said Mrs. Umila.
“We have a target to sell 250 toilets with septic tanks by February 2021. In the future, we even plan to make sanitation our business unit,” said Mrs. Umila.
To realize the plan, KSPPS Syirkah Fastabiqul Khoirot has purchased supporting equipment, such as septic tank molds for each branch office, and will employ masons who have been trained by KSPPS Syirkah and USAID IUWASH PLUS as technical personnel in the new business unit.
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