Animal-Inclusive Community Led Total Sanitation 
(A-CLTS) project in Mali
Duration: 2020–2022
The challenge How are we addressing the problem?
Relatively few water, sanitation, and/or hygiene (WASH) The overarching goal of this project is to improve the 
programmes place a strong emphasis on livestock health status of community members in rural, underserved 
management and animal waste, in part because scientists areas of Mali through improved sanitation and hygiene 
have hypothesized that human feces are more important practices. The proposed project will work in 20 selected 
reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria that most commonly villages of the Ségou region in Mali to pilot an innovative 
cause diarrhea. According to the Food and Agricultural WASH model that builds upon the approach through 
Organization (FAO), ‘domestic animals such as poultry, the addition of animal waste management strategies. This 
cattle, sheep and pigs generate 85% of the world’s animal project will be implemented in two phases. In Phase 1, 
fecal waste, proportionally a far greater amount than the study team will conduct formative research to inform 
the contribution by the human population.’ Insufficient the development of an Animal Inclusive-Community Total 
separation of animal feces from human domestic Led Sanitation (A-CLTS) program tailored for delivery 
environments, common in low-income countries, can lead in the Ségou region of Mali. The formative research will 
to fecal-oral transmission of zoonotic pathogens through include a scoping review, exploratory qualitative research, 
direct contact with humans and/or fecal contamination of identification of candidate intervention components, 
fingers, food and water sources. Humans can be exposed to ex-ante rapid evaluation of candidate solutions using 
pathogens from poorly managed animal feces, particularly stakeholder feedback and adjustment of behavior change 
in communities where animals live close to humans. indicators prior to intervention delivery. In Phase 2, a 
Exposure to livestock is also an important risk factor for pre/post study design will be used to measure selected 
child diarrhea. behavioural change outcomes before and after introducing 
the intervention.
There is growing evidence that reducing morbidity—and 
in particular, sub-clinical environmental enteropathy—may What are the expected outcomes?
be at least as effective in improving children’s nutritional 
status as changes in children’s diets. A recent USAID- Through this pilot, the project will document the A-CLTS 
supported study highlighted the need for further research to behavior change strategies that have the greatest potential 
identify the most effective WASH interventions in reducing to improve household and child health outcomes. 
children’s exposure to fecal pathogens beyond the standard Evaluation and documentation of project outputs will 
approaches of latrines, handwashing with soap and treatment contribute to the body of knowledge about improved 
of water for household use. WASH and CLTS approaches in Mali, which we anticipate 
will have broader applicability to Africa.
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Contact
Michel Dione Photos
Kirk Dearden
Animal Health Scientist Senior Technical Advisor for Nutrition and WASH  
International Livestock Research IMA World Health and MOMENTUM Integrated ILRI/Stevie Mann
Institute Health Resilience 
Dakar, Senegal Washington DC, USA 
m.dione@cgiar.org kdearden@corusinternational.org
ILRI thanks all donors that globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.
Patron: Professor Peter C Doherty AC, FAA, FRS 
Animal scientist, Nobel Prize Laureate for Physiology or Medicine–1996
Box 30709, Nairobi 00100 Kenya ilri.org Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
Phone  +254 20 422 3000 better lives through livestock Phone +251 11 617 2000 
Fax      +254 20 422 3001  Fax +251 11 667 6923 
Email ilri-kenya@cgiar.org ILRI is a CGIAR research centre Email ilri-ethiopia@cgiar.org 
ILRI has offices in East Africa • South Asia • Southeast and East Asia • Southern Africa • West Africa
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This document is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.                                                         February 2021