Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

About FSMA’s Closure & Resources for FSM Professionals 

Why is FSMA closing its doors? 

FSMA was unable to develop a sustainable organisational financial model for a membership-based network to support our ongoing operating and programme costs. As a result, we had a gap in funding to further convene, champion, and collaborate within the WASH sector. 

The sector has changed since we opened our doors, and so has the funding landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about changing funding priorities from organisations sitting in high-income countries to organisations working on the ground in low- and middle-income countries. Funding that focuses more on direct investments to regional grantees will better support local FSM networks and sanitation service providers.

Additionally, the WASH sector learned that FSM didn’t address all the problems to ensure universal access to sanitation, and efforts are needed to support the last mile - regardless of the sanitation systems used. While FSM still needs a platform for discussion, a new, more inclusive path to safely managed sanitation for all is opening up, one that incorporates all technologies and advocates for the professionalisation and dignity of sanitation workers of all kinds. 

FSMA’s objective has always been to champion truly inclusive sanitation. When we started, faecal sludge management - both the technology and its professionals - didn’t have a voice in the sanitation conversation. Our goal was to raise the profile of FSM and marginalised sanitation workers to achieve safely managed sanitation for all. FSMA is giving way to a future where the sanitation sector is inherently inclusive, and donors prioritise support for locally-based sanitation networks, providers, and professionals. 

When will FSMA officially close? 

FSMA closed in November of 2024. You can read the closing statement from Executive Director, Jennifer Williams here. 

How does your closing relate to the current push for shifting power in the development sector? 

FSMA champions and advocates for sanitation workers and local solutions in low- and middle-income countries. We broadly support the Shift the Power movement in sanitation and international development. As the funding landscape changes, we support the voices calling for direct investments in local solutions, networks, and organisations in the Global South. In line with this, FSMA is in the process of identifying organisations that closely align with our values to receive our remaining funds to continue promoting next-generation sanitation. 

Is FSM still relevant to improving sanitation services, or are you closing down because FSM is no longer an appropriate solution? 

According to a JMP report (2022), more than 3 billion people rely on non-sewered sanitation globally, including faecal sludge management (FSM). Although many urban areas worldwide are making progress in safely managed sanitation by expanding sewerage networks, more than 1 billion people currently live in informal settlements in and around cities with little to no access to sanitation services, forcing people to defecate outside. FSM remains a viable and necessary form of sanitation in urban areas where growth rates outpace sewer connections or aren’t suitable for centralised wastewater systems. 

What measures are in place to maintain compliance with legal and regulatory obligations during the wind-down?

FSMA works directly with our funders, contractors, and Dutch regulatory systems to ensure that our wind-down complies with all legal requirements and respects our contractual obligations.

What steps are being taken to ensure data privacy and security during the wind-down? 

FSMA will delete all membership data and contacts in our internal files as compliance requirements with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

How will this impact the FSM networks in other countries? 

FSMA is not directly connected to other formal FSM networks like NFSSM in India. Therefore, it should not affect those networks. We’re identifying the best way to transition the in-country networks FSMA has contributed to building, such as in Indonesia and South Africa.  We are working with our team members in other countries to ensure that any networks developed are provided with resources and opportunities within our current resources. 

What is the future of FSM work?  

We encourage FSM and sanitation professionals to connect with other networks working on FSM, such as: 

• IWA Specialist Groups

• SuSaNa working groups

• FSM TWiG (run by the Global WASH Cluster) 

We also encourage interested professionals to continue organising some of the work we started, such as the monthly webinar series.

What will happen to the 8th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference?  

Due to our closure, FSMA will not be involved with planning FSM8. Currently, there are no plans for a new organisation to take over planning FSM8 or the FSM conference series. 

FSMA’s Legacy

What are FSMA’s lasting contributions to the sanitation sector's overall growth and improvement? 

When we began our journey, we were a group of practitioners and researchers interested in progressing FSM in the WASH sector’s agenda. Back then, FSM didn’t have a voice. Many people preferred not to discuss this important challenge, and FSM workers sat at the margins of the sanitation workforce. 

We have tackled the challenge of raising FSM visibility through multiple avenues. We are proud to have helped bring FSM into the broader conversation about inclusive, safely managed sanitation for all. Margaret Maina, a utility leader from Kenya, has shared that, “FSMA changed the sanitation story in Africa. Now, we have a different mindset from what we have that has changed how our utilities work.” 

Since 2017, we have supported the International Faecal Sludge Management Conference series, providing a platform for FSM service providers, workers, and stakeholders to build supportive networks for sharing knowledge and resources. We have been excited to watch this conference grow in attendance and visibility. Materials from these conferences can be found on SuSanA’s website.

We are especially proud to have partnered with many organisations to host FSM conferences over the years, including the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA), African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), USAID, Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum dan Perumahan Rakyat, Kementerian PPN/Bappenas, Paljaya, and Société de Distribution d'Eau de Côte d'Ivoire (SODECI), (Container-Based Sanitation Association) CBSA, and Pan-African Association of Sanitation Actors (PASA). 

Our joint event with AfWASA in 2023 brought together more than 1000 delegates and 2500 visitors to discuss critical issues such as increasing representation of diverse voices and uniting the WASH sectors for sustainable progress on SDG6. A hugely significant outcome of this event was the Ministerial signing of the “Abidjan Declaration for a sustainable management of resources and access for all to water and sanitation in Africa”. This Declaration advocates for the international community to consider water and sanitation as elements of a single right and ensure sustainable financing of water and sanitation services, signalling high-level support for increased attention on sanitation.

FSMA has used the momentum of these conferences to create further opportunities for sharing knowledge, resources and expertise between organisations and individual members working in FSM. 

Originating in FSM6 as a conference-side session, we created an ongoing Spotlight technical webinar series that would keep the WASH sector updated with the most recent news. This covered the latest tools, best practices, research, and general updates in the FSM sector, with topics as diverse as financing for sanitation technologies, climate-smart sanitation, pit-emptying technologies, and empowering youth. Check out the case studies from Nepal, Vietnam, South Africa, Indonesia, Uganda, and Burkina Faso. 

We also created a podcast series entitled “FSMA Presents”. Along with our quarterly magazine, this podcast created a new platform and medium to discuss and explore unique stories, knowledge and perspectives related to FSM. 

FSMA hosted four “World Emptying Challenge” events in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, and Senegal. These challenges served as platforms for pit emptiers worldwide to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a simulated sanitation service-chain setting. The challenges feature various steps of the emptying process, including PPE usage, pit cleaning, disposal/reuse methods, and teamwork. The events facilitated knowledge exchange and innovation among pit emptiers, promoting best practices and standardisation in the field of city-wide inclusive sanitation. By organising these events across different countries, FSMA contributed to improving service delivery and safety standards in the pit-emptying sector on a global scale. Videos from the global 2021 challenge can be found on our YouTube channel. 

We inherited the web-based FSM Toolbox from a consortium of organisations through support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Since managing the FSM Toolbox, we have helped thousands of practitioners determine the best FSM plan for their cities. This included assessment tools, a planning toolkit, and nearly 1500 resources from 25 countries on FSM-related topics. The Asian Institute of Technology created the Toolbox, and it evolved with valuable contributions, inputs, and feedback from various organisations such as CEPT University, CSTEP, and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. Before FSMA, Athena Infonomics led the latest upgrade with support and inputs from a network of partners (CDD Society, Emanti Management Consultants, Asian Institute of Technology, Cabinet EDE, AFWA and IWMI) and experts (Dr. Shirish Singh, Dorai Narayan, Dave Robbins, Sujaya Rathi, Isabel Blackett, Peter Hawkins and Mingma Sherpa).

Additionally, FSMA received grant funding to advocate for next-generation sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa and Indonesia. Our programming in our Non-Sewered Sanitation Liaison Program was aimed at local governments, real estate developers, and the tourism industry to provide education on the alternative options to a conventional sewer system.