Faecal Management Enterprises (FaME)
Providing sanitation solutions through value chain management of faecal sludge
The FaME project aims to transform the status quo for faecal sludge management and sanitation services for the urban poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. Onsite sanitation systems are the most commonly employed, and typically the most sustainable option, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the prevailing condition across the region is characterized by dysfunctional on-site sanitation systems, poorly maintained faecal sludge collection facilities, and few alternatives to disposing untreated or inadequately treated faecal sludge directly into the environment. The resource value of faecal sludge is widely recognized for a range of applications. Designing sanitation chains that effectively capture this value can provide a financial driver that enhances service at every step in the value chain, from the household-level user, to the final end-use.
The overall goal of the FaME project is demonstrating innovative solutions for the entire faecal sludge value chain with the aim of dramatically improving public and environmental health in urban areas of SSA through the provision of complete and reliable sanitation. The purpose of the FaME project is to create scalable reuse-oriented faecal sludge value chains that capture and create value from faecal sludge end-products, providing incentives and cash flow to help drive and finance robust sanitation schemes, and to incorporate this approach into local sanitation policies and governance.
The FaME consortium envisions a future where urban settlements, and particularly the urban poor, realize the public health and environmental benefits that are known to be associated with reliable and complete sanitation. Our team believes that this future is achievable through the development and implementation of reuse-oriented faecal sludge value chains, where faecal sludge is no more a disposal problem but a valuable product that provides a profit motive for its on-going collection and re-direction to safe endpoints.
Components of the FaME project include:
A market demand study in Senegal, Ghana, and Uganda for faecal sludge-borne products (e.g. fertilizer, solid fuel, biogas)
Demonstration of the technical and financial viability of using faecal sludge as a fuel in cement manufacturing (and other industrial processes)
Profile of existing businesses and development of financial flow models for implementing reuse-oriented faecal sludge management
To actively disseminate the knowledge and findings from our research through an array of participatory workshops, pilot project tours, publications and other media outlets
The FaME consortium consists of the following partners:
Dr. Linda Strande (Gaulke) (PI)
Dr. Stefan Diener (Project officer)
Environment Sciences Institute (ISE), Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar
University, Senegal,
Dr. Mbaye Mbéguéré
Hydrophil - consulting &
knowledge development GmbH
Dr. Gerald Eder
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
National Sanitation Utility of Senegal (ONAS)
Mr. Papa Samba Diop
Dr. Ashley Murray
The FaME project is funded through a SPLASH grant