In the late 1990s, a Bangladeshi organisation campaigned to improve sanitation. With community support, it achieved widespread success and the infant mortality rate has been drastically reduced. What's more, Bangladesh is now a world leader in low cost toilets!

Bangladesh is one of the world’s poorest countries. From its capital to its remote villages, extreme poverty is everywhere. Up until 10 years ago, sanitation was among the worst in the world.

However, when a Bangladeshi organisation started campaigning to improve sanitation it was supported by aid agencies, non-government organisations and local authorities.

Desperate for change, local communities collaborated willingly and became heavily involved in the campaign from the beginning. As the community became better educated about the effects of poor sanitation on their health, they began to lobby for better infrastructure – especially toilets.

The campaign resulted in greatly improved sanitation for Bangladesh. There was a dramatic improvement in people's health and most importantly, a sharp decline in infant mortality.

This Bangladesh sanitation story is a wonderful example of how communities can bring about their own life-saving change when they empower themselves with knowledge and work together towards a common goal.

World Vision is inspired by projects such as this, where change can be effected through community collaboration.