During Global Handwashing Day on the 15th of October, SATO celebrated the coming-to-market of the SATO Tap with digital and on-ground events geared towards spreading awareness on the importance of hand washing, and moving private, governmental and non governmental organisations towards increasing access to handwashing facilities with soap and water for millions of people around the world.

LIXIL Signs MOU with USAID

This new partnership leverages the unique expertise, resources and reach of USAID and LIXIL to further their joint mission to strengthen sanitation and hygiene among the most vulnerable populations around the world. Future collaboration will also aim to strengthen sanitation supply chains and markets and create business opportunities for women entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies.

SATO’s collaborates with Reckitt Benckiser; Dettol’s manufacturer

In the same press conference, LIXIL announced a partnership with Reckitt Benckiser. Working with Dettol, a line of hygiene products manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser, LIXIL will bundle its SATO Tap with 500,000 bars of Dettol anti-bacterial soap, a popular brand in key sanitation and hygiene markets such as India.
The combination of a mobile hand washing station with soap will help improve the quality of hygienic hand washing for millions of families in developing countries. Bundled products will be first made available in the coming months in markets such as India, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Strengthening further the current partnership with UNICEF

LIXIL and UNICEF, with the launch of the SATO Tap, expanded the partnership activities in response to COVID-19 to promote immediate and sustained handwashing behavior in communities.

Read more on the LIXIL-USAID MOU, and partnering UNICEF and Reckitt Benckiser collaborations here: https://www.lixil.com/en/news/pdf/GHD_pressrelease_1014_final_E_web.pdf

SATO Heads participate in multiple UNICEF Webinars on Hand Hygiene

SATO has a long-standing relationship with UNICEF. This year alone, both organizations have worked together on WASH campaigns and online events. During the Global Handwashing Day celebrations, SATO participated in many webinars hosted by UNICEF on hand hygiene.

In Asia, SATO was represented in a Webinar co-hosted by UNICEF and the Department of Education and Department of Health - Philippines

Mr. Suguru Sakata, Head of Market Expansion at SATO (LIXIL) represented SATO in a zoom video conference co-convened by the Department of Education, Department of Health and UNICEF. The event aims to gather multiple sectors and stakeholders to share innovative practices for behavior change and creating an enabling environment for hand hygiene across different settings.

In Asia, SATO was represented at the UNICEF Hand Hygiene for Asia Webinar

Mr. Dhananjay Singh, General Manager of SATO Asia, was one of the speakers at UNICEF’s Hand Hygiene for Asia webinar. This virtual hand hygiene conference was hosted by UNICEF in partnership with SWA, WHO, FANSA, WSSCC, WaterAid, and Plan International and discussed ways to increase awareness and hand washing facilities in Asia. Mr. Singh discussed the potential that the private industry has in relation to hand hygiene, and how SATO Tap aims to make handwashing accessible to more people worldwide.

Watch a recording of the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ8ENOpari4&t=522s

In Africa, SATO was represented at the UNICEF Advancing Hygiene in Africa Webinar

UNICEF organized a panel discussion on Advancing Hand Hygiene in Africa, to commemorate Global Handwashing day. Mr. Samuel Langat, General Manager of SATO-LIXIL Africa, was one of the key speakers. This webinar featured representatives from governments, the World Health Organisation and from the private sector. During the UNICEF panel discussion Mr. Langat presented a case for private public partnerships to evolve and become more open and collaborative.

On-ground events were carried out in Kenya and India. In Kenya, SATO attended the National Business Compact Coalition Kenya Handwashing Campaign.

The event, which was organised by the National Business Compact Coalition was held at AMREF University, Nairobi, and attended by several key guests, including leading voices in public health such as the Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, MOH Cabinet secretary, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe. The First Lady of Kenya, HE. Margaret Kenyatta also addressed the gathering in a televised speech.

This event presented an opportunity for the WASH leaders to test the SATO Tap and SATO was awarded a trophy for innovation towards providing sustainable access to handwashing facilities.

In India, SATO Asia conducted public testing sessions for the SATO Tap to understand user behaviour & feedback.

SATO Tap was strategically placed in places where safe hand hygiene is important; like street food stalls, and vegetable markets which do not have taps with running water. The public response was astoundingly positive.

Also in India, SATO partnered with the Finnish Society and Nirgandh to organise a mason training session.

SATO collaborated with the Finnish Society to organize a three day event at Natawad and Umaj Gram Panchayat, from October 13th to October 15th. On the first day, a drawing, rangoli and poster making competition was held, with students and youth groups.

On the second day (14th October) a mason training was conducted as part of a marketing initiative for Panchayati Raj in India. The training was held with 190 masons and aimed to increase the number of skilled masons and vendors in Basti, Gonda and Behraich. There was a demonstration of the working of the SATO Tap, along with the retrofitting of urinal pans.

The event was wrapped up with an E-Conference on the 15th of October, orienting school head masters and SMC members on the project objectives and work undertaken by the Finnish Society for one year. There was also a showcase of the elbow operated SATO Tap.

SATO is also working with Nirgandh, which identified three schools in Badarpur, Haryana and Dehradun districts where sanitation facilities needed an upgrade. SATO installed toilet pans in these schools in order to help the girls in the school focus on their education as part of the #SATOForOurGirls initiative.

SATO’s digital platforms were not left behind. SATO launched its Global Handwashing Day Digital Campaign on the same day.

SATO asked various audiences how their handwashing habits have changed in 2020. The objective was to find out how their hand washing habits and techniques have changed and if they all truly practice the right handwashing techniques using soap and water. Responses were recorded and compiled in a captivating video. Watch the responses here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne6aWh7IAtA

To collaborate with SATO in public health and sanitation campaign, please contact us at sato@lixil.com