Public Finance
Urban Development
WASH
Design and Roll-out of the FSM toolbox and a MLE Platform for Urban FSM
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Under a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) grant, Athena is designing a Monitoring, Learning, and Evidence (MLE) platform for urban Faecal Sludge Management (FSM). The project has two components: data ecosystem strengthening, and evidence and learning. The first component aims to create a global indicator protocol and platform for urban FSM. This will involve eight pilot cities that are part of BMGF's Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) program. The second seeks to aggregate and analyze evidence on effective interventions in urban FSM to promote peer learning and information exchange. Spread over three years, the project uses an evidence-based, stakeholder-driven decision-making approach. The grant will also help address challenges in uptake of the FSM toolbox.