News
July 30, 2026
The SHF Annual Report 2025 highlights how SHF continued to work with governments and partners to build stronger, more self-sustaining...
Today, almost half of the world’s population lacks access to safely managed sanitation and one in four women worldwide cannot manage their menstruation safely and with dignity.
At the UN’s Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF), we believe that improved access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health is not only a basic human right, but a key to unlocking potential for all individuals, especially women and girls.
SHF works with countries, public and private partners to develop national sanitation economies and menstrual health markets through catalytic financing and create lasting, sustainable impact. With an initial footprint in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, SHF is planning to scale its innovative approach in West Africa and Asia.
By prioritizing investments in next generation sanitation and menstrual health markets, SHF creates a ripple effect of positive change. When communities have access to proper sanitation facilities, they are more resilient to climate-related challenges and can thrive economically. When women and girls are able to manage their menstruation safely, they can fully engage in school, in the workplace, and in their communities.
Read more about our approach here
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Discover Capital M, SHF's market-led moonshot for menstrual health
Today, roughly 613 million women and girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) rely on non-purpose made materials such as toilet paper, rags to manage their menstruation. SHF's global initiative, Capital M, is designed to unlock thriving menstrual health markets and deliver lasting impact for millions of women and girls.
Together with governments, entrepreneurs and funders, we are making the menstrual health market viable, investible and sustainable.
Visit our Capital M website here.
SHF Annual Report 2025 out now!
Against a backdrop of declining development assistance and growing pressure on public budgets, SHF’s latest Annual Report ‘Making Sanitation and Menstrual Health Markets Work’ highlights how market-based, catalytic solutions can build self-sustaining and investable systems across low- and middle-income countries.
Through its two flagship approaches, Next Generation Sanitation (NGS) and Capital M, SHF is helping countries move beyond donor-dependent models toward integrated market systems that connect policy reform, enterprise development, market intelligence, finance and investment. The report captures the progress achieved in 2025 as SHF prepares for its next strategic phase, SHF 2.0.
In 2025, our work helped nearly 240,000 people gain access to basic sanitation and more than 62,000 gain access to safely managed sanitation across Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. We mobilised USD 6.7 million in private investment and financing, and supported an additional USD 2.4 million in public investment through technical assistance and policy engagement.
In addition, our programmes supported thousands of sanitation enterprises and jobs, including opportunities for women, advanced market intelligence through SANEMAT, MH-MMAT and market-sizing work, contributed to engagement on clearer global customs classifications for menstrual products, supported country-level market reforms, and helped ensure inclusive participation in the development of international standards for menstrual products.
The steadfast commitment of our donors the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the Gates Foundation has been instrumental in advancing our mission to turn sanitation and menstrual health into lasting drivers of dignity, health, climate resilience, and economic opportunity.
