Clean Team Ghana is a transformative, large-scale social enterprise and collaboration between Unilever, IDEO, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor, and Studio O, among others, addressing the global issue of safe and convenient sanitation. The project delivers a portable toilet and sanitation service directly to the homes of low-income residents of Ghana’s second largest city, where less than 20 percent of people live with adequate sanitation facilities. After the project launched in 2011, followed by early-stage development, Studio O and SOSHL Studio joined the team in 2015, conducting human-centered design research in Kumasi. Ultimately, the designers proposed a range of new design components that could help the project reach a greater diversity of people. By focusing on the needs of past, present, and future users, the project is able to deliver safe, hygienic facilities to households, schools, and other institutions across Kumasi. Notably, the delivery, maintenance, and day-to-day operations of the service are run by local Ghanaians, empowering them to improve their own communities. The project has plans to expand to Accra and other Ghanaian cities in the future.
