A classic obstacle often encountered in efforts to increase access to sanitation for urban poor communities is funding issue. To answer this problem, Jombang District Government continues to conduct a wide range of innovations, including offering capital loans from Bank of Jombang for hygienic latrine development for community, especially the urban poor.
With this scheme, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) for sanitation in East Java province are now able to look for additional financial supports to expand their service. This program was initiated in 2014 when the USAID Indonesia Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IUWASH) project implemented a grant program that provided SMEs with a ‘revolving fund’ of Rp250,000 per one new toilet they built. The result is surprising. SMEs in seven cities/districts of East Java have successfully built 1,500 new toilets within one year through this revolving fund. “We are now hoping to get more capital loans to response the increasing demand on toilet. With limited capital, I can only build 15 toilets per month. I used to build 30 toilets per month by revolving the incentive fund from IUWASH grant in 2014.” said Purwaningsih, one of sanitation SMEs from Jombang district.
Through IUWASH support, Purwaningsih collaborated with the National Army of Indonesia or TNI’s District Military Command of Jombang district to implement the armys’ “1 Million Toilets” philanthropic program. The program aims to improve the health of the poor people throughout Indonesia. As a sanitarian from the Pulolor Community Health Center in Jombang subdistrict, Purwaningsih proposed TNI support one of five villages in her working areas which has yet to realize zero percent open defecation practices. Her proposal was granted.
Purwaningsih, equipped with proper knowledge on SNI-standard toilet, which was provided through IUWASH training, supervised the technical aspects of the toilets contruction. She also developed a microfinance scheme to cover the additional poor families who requested new toilets.
TNI’s “1 Million Toilets” program in Pulolor, Jombang sub-district started in October 2015. Now, 19 poor families have their new toilets. Dimin (67) from Banjardowo village, Jombang sub-district of Jombang district is one of the beneficiaries of this program. He is willingly to pay his five months’ installment offered by Purwaningsih. “I finally got a new toilet after more than 40 years practicing defecation in the open,” Dimin said.
