Innovation Works

As part of a five-year U.S. Agency for International Development WASH for Health project, Global Communities worked with the plastics company Duraplast Ghana and the government of Ghana to enable the creation of a poor-inclusive market for rural sanitation products and services. Using a human-centered design process focused on rural households, Global Communities helped develop a low-cost, affordable, and long-lasting hygienic sanitation product, the Digni-Loo. In a new model of public-private cooperation to scale up basic sanitation, the government of Ghana purchased 20,000 Digni-Loo units for delivery to poor rural households, which are priced at $85, about 80% less than traditional latrines.

Climate change and decades of detrimental policies have accelerated the deterioration of Africa’s drylands, jeopardizing the carbon stocks they hold, and threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions of pastoralists. AfriScout is a digital service for pastoralists that was created by Global Communities, then operating as PCI, to overcome these challenges, restore rangelands, improve food security, and help poor families engage in positive coping mechanisms in response to climate change. By leveraging satellite imagery and crowd-sourced information from users, pastoralists can use the AfriScout mobile app to make more optimal and precise grazing decisions that support regenerative rangeland practices while protecting herds, reducing conflict, and improving livelihoods. The application has now been downloaded and used by over 20,000 pastoralists across East Africa. Results from a Fordham University study show 69% of AfriScout users improved their ability to manage pasture, 76% identified the maps are their most important tool in migration decision-making, and 42% believed that AfriScout had reduced conflict.  Moreover, the study found an attributable benefit of $4,639 or approximately $67 for every cow or 10 shoats, a sheep-goat hybrid.