Quality of Life among Container-Based Sanitation Users in Haiti

What is it about?

Sanitation users often value improved sanitation interventions for social benefits, such as improved safety and dignity. Some sanitation providers have started using well-being measurements to evaluate service impacts beyond infectious disease outcomes. In particular, the Sanitation Quality of Life (SanQoL) Index explores five attributes associated with sanitation wellbeing: health, disgust, shame, safety, and privacy. In this prospective cohort study we assess changes to sanitation-related quality of life among users of the EkoLakay container-based sanitation (CBS) service operating in northern Haiti. Between October 2023 and November 2024 EkoLakay gathered complete baseline and endline data from 291 customer households. This research suggests that CBS is associated with substantially higher quality of life of users in northern Haiti, particularly among the most vulnerable who did not previously have access to any sanitation facility.

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Why is it important?

This article is important because it highlights how sanitation interventions can improve people’s lives in ways that go beyond reducing infectious disease. By applying the SanQoL Index to measure dignity, safety, privacy, and other aspects of well-being, our study provides evidence that container-based sanitation can meaningfully improve quality of life in resource-constrained, flood-prone communities. These findings are especially significant for the most vulnerable households, many of whom previously lacked access to any sanitation facility. In documenting these broader impacts, the research strengthens the case for investing in container-based sanitation as a viable, equity-enhancing solution to urban sanitation challenges.