Farhana Rashid, Bhumijo

Bangladesh

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Co-founder and CEO of Bhumijo, an NGO on urban sanitation which provides hygienic and secure public toilets for women.

 

Bhumijo is a young revolutionary from Bangladesh. Dhaka, having very limited resources struggles to serve the basic amenities to its growing number of the urban population. The city has been unable to provide an adequate number of secured, and hygienic public toilets to its citizens. Understanding the crisis of usable public toilet for women, the company’s special focus is on women friendliness of the facilities. They offer a range of services including sanitary napkin to diaper change, catering special needs of women. Through design and maintenance innovation Bhumjo helps government agencies to provide adequate and quality public sanitation.

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Since its inauguration in October 2017, Bhumijo public toilets has been used 80 thousand times. Amongst the users we can find several workers with low income, who has been served for free. The transformation was done cheaper and faster than any other available solutions. The initiative has gained attention from government and non-government agencies through various seminars, news publications and events. City corporations have contacted Bhumijo after learning about this innovative model, and Bhumijo is currently working with 3 city corporations (Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Narayanganj City Corporation) to design and maintain their toilets. Inspired by a women-only toilet facility, the market feels the need of good toilet facilities for men. There is a new toilet facility being built in the same market designed by Bhumijo exclusively for male members.