Unlocking
Innovative Financing in the WASH Sector
How the world's first development impact bond in the water and sanitation sector is a model for making impact at scale.
DIB Case Study
Bringing Safe Sanitation to Rural communities in Cambodia
The world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the Cambodia Rural Sanitation DIB, accelerated the end of the high rates of open defecation in the country and supported the Cambodian government's efforts to reach universal sanitation by 2025. This DIB is a role model for creating impact at scale demonstrating how innovative financing can unlock innovative approaches.
At a glance
Implementation Period
2019-2023
Partners
Outcomes Funding
$9.99M
Geographic Focus
6 provinces in Cambodia
Impact
MEASURABLE RESULTS
We developed an innovative finance solution to support an impactful, large-scale rural sanitation program in Cambodia.
We enabled 1,780 Cambodian villages to become open defecation free. That’s 1.7 million people across six provinces.
ODF = 100% household access to sanitation, (at minimum 85% household latrine ownership and 15% verifiably sharing)
Key Outcomes
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Increased safely managed sanitation coverage to ensure significant health outcomes are achieved.
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Empowered local entrepreneurs, particularly women, to end poverty through inclusive and resilient market-based approaches.
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Supported context specific, innovative, sustainable, entrepreneurial solutions to major social problems.
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Accelerated the Cambodian government’s efforts to reach universal sanitation by ending open defecation.
Our Approach
Key Partners and Their Roles in the DIB
The DIB model is an innovative way of financing international development that improves value for money while increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of programs. Impact bonds are performance-based, meaning that investors are only paid a return if a set of pre-agreed targets are met.
The Stone Family Foundation provided the upfront investment required to achieve sanitation outcomes, which was delivered through the third phase of iDE’s Sanitation Marketing Scale Up program. USAID provided up to $10m in outcomes funding to the Stone Family Foundation, but only where results (open defecation-free villages) were achieved.
A HISTORY OF PARTNERSHIP AND EXPERIENCE IN MARKETS-BASED WASH PROGRAMMING
Partners
About the Partners
The Stone Family Foundation supports innovative, sustainable, entrepreneurial solutions to major social problems in the UK and around the world
Souraya Chenguelly
Senior WASH Portfolio Manager schenguelly@thesff.com
iDE is a global organization that advances market-based approaches in agriculture; access to finance; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
Sarah Custer-Lalanne
Global WASH Director scusterlalanne@ideglobal.org
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance
Sam Oeurn Ke
Project Management Specialist ske@usaid.gov
LET’S CREATE
SOCIAL IMPACT
TOGETHER!
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to stay up-to-date on new opportunities.
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We are looking for like-minded organizations to invest and help close the funding gap.
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Connect with iDE and SFF to learn about new and innovative investment opportunities in the WASH sector, and what role you can play either as a philanthropic grant-maker, a private investor, or a public institution.
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Immediate opportunities include new DIBs in rural sanitation as well as in water.
