The USAID Technical Brief on Rural Sanitation outlines strategies for developing and implementing effective rural sanitation programs. It emphasizes the need for area-wide coverage rather than just household-level improvements, incorporating governance, financing, market systems, and behavior change as critical components. Key takeaways highlight the value of targeted subsidies for the most vulnerable populations and the necessity of planning for failures and learning from them. The brief notes that over two billion people lack basic sanitation, with rural areas particularly affected. Achieving Universal Basic Sanitation is hindered by insufficient political prioritization, lack of financing, and the ineffectiveness of one-size-fits-all approaches like Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). Effective rural sanitation requires tailored approaches that engage both public and private sectors, supporting local capabilities and market systems. It outlines core elements necessary for sustainable sanitation services—governance, financing, behaviors, and markets—with tactical guidance for implementation. The document serves as a resource for USAID and other stakeholders by providing a framework for assessing, designing, and measuring rural sanitation interventions, ultimately aiming for significant and equitable improvements in sanitation access in rural regions.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Liberia has issued a Request for Information (RFI) aimed at enhancing access to sanitation and eradicating open defecation across five counties: Montserrado, Nimba, Lofa, Bong, and Grand Bassa. The RFI emphasizes the urgent need for improved sanitation in Liberia, where only 23.8% of the population had access to basic sanitation services as of 2020, and approximately 34.8% engage in open defecation. This practice is linked to high child malnutrition and mortality rates. Despite prior efforts, notably in community-led total sanitation (CLTS) initiatives that certified 1,061 communities as open defecation free, challenges remain, primarily concerning sustainability and community engagement. USAID seeks innovative approaches and feedback from potential partners on effective sanitation strategies, financing options, and the integration of local governance in sanitation initiatives. The agency envisions a comprehensive strategy that includes not only household and community-level interventions but also county-wide approaches to eliminate open defecation, focusing distinct strategies for urban and rural areas. This RFI serves as a precursor to a formal funding opportunity that will be announced later.