Cheng Kean Keong

The toilet or some of you may call it a “bathroom”, is a sanitary area where we use every day to “empty our bowels”. However, DID YOU KNOW that an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world still lack the access to the privilege of proper sanitation? A research has shown that there are more people who own mobile phones compared to the number of toilets worldwide which is simply ridiculous!

There are many implications caused by the lack of clean and safe toilets, one of which includes diarrhoeal diseases. This disease kills more children every year than AIDS, malaria and measles combined! In addition, the lack of clean and safe toilets causes open defecation which usually ends up in a common river used by a rural community since the river is their only open water source.

These tell us that clean and safe toilets are the prerequisites for good health, dignity and even education. Still, not many of us seem to take heed of the matter. This news shows us exactly the dangers of not having a toilet.


A change is desperately needed and we are going to first start with Cambodia. In rural area of Cambodia, 69% of over 11.5 million Cambodians practice open defecation today. If we consider 5 people in each household, that’s more than 2 million household toilets needed. In order to solve this issue, World Toilet Organisation (WTO) stepped in and introduced SaniShop. 


Based on “social franchise” model, SaniShop involves training local masons in developing countries to build and sell toilets to their community. By empowering individuals to develop entrepreneurial skills, the SaniShop model provides livelihoods to local masons and sales agents. In addition to job creation, masons and sales agents are trained to deliver sustainable sanitation solutions to their communities, thereby improving the sanitation conditions in villages. In 2012, the SaniShop ecosystem already built 1,800 toilets.


The reason why SaniShop sells toilets instead of builds for free, is that the money indicates behaviour change (the desire to no longer practice open defecation) and the understanding of the value of a toilet. SaniShop sells a single pit, 3 ring toilet to the rural community of Cambodia at a cut-price of USD50 where usually cost more than USD100. But still there is a number of ultra poor people who only make less than USD1 a day. Thus, this "Let's Talk SHIT" campaign aimed to help the poor community by subsidising a portion of the toilet cost.

Our merchandises

Who is World Toilet Organisation (WTO)?

Here is the plan:
- Original cost of a toilet is USD50.
- We aim to reduce the cost to USD40 per toilet (A reduction of USD10 = RM30).
- Our target is to subsidises 300 ultra poor families which take up to RM9000.
- The average cost of the merchandises is 40% of the selling price.
- Thus, we need to successfully crowd-fund RM15000 in order to get a profit of RM9000 which is 60% of the sales.
- All the profit will go directly to the SaniShop in Cambodia in order to subsidies the poor community.
- Extra profit (Including the remaining of transportation fee) would also serve the same purpose to help more people in need.


* You might be wondering that why should you pledge and only get 60% of your money to the people in Cambodia. "Let's Talk SHIT" campaign is more than a crowd-funding campaign, it served to deliver the message of sanitation crisis around the globe including Cambodia. Thus, our merchandise is printed with very attractive and powerful "Let's Talk SHIT" message to raise the awareness of people when you are using it. As you are affecting more people to join the cause, you not only helping those in Cambodia, you are helping millions or billions of people, you are helping the world. 

The main challenge is this whole idea of crowd-funding. As a first timer in this field, I spent a lot of time checking others' successful story and tackle the challenges thrown at me.

Besides, merchandise designing is hard for me. As an undergraduate engineer, I have absolutely no idea on designing. Thanks to the team, the designs came out pretty awesome. Hope you guys will like it :)

Contacting WTO is also quite a difficult task. But fortunately, the founder of WTO Mr Jack Sim replied me personally which is quite unbelievable and encouraging at the same time.