Bangaldesh beat diarrhea by making latrines for the poorest and shamed the rest to make their own

In areas of Bangladesh with good data, the deaths from diarrhea and dysentery have dropped by about 90% since the early 1990s.

It is one of Asia’s poorest countries, with only half the GDP per person of India. Bangladesh now has a child-mortality rate lower than India or Pakistan, and indeed lower than the world average.

A household toilet is now a symbol of respectability and marriages have been called off when a groom’s family is discovered not to have one.

The charity BRAC discovered that the poorest people were more willing to listen to experts. The charity built latrines for them, then shamed wealthier villagers into following suit.