The company
Bhumijo provides hygienic and affordable smart toilets in low-income areas by either building new toilets or renovating and managing existing facilities.
The problem
For the more than 5 million people who commute daily on the roads of Dhaka, there are fewer than 50 usable public toilets. The detrimental effects are felt disproportionately by low-income communities and women, who often spend 12 to 16 hours a day outside their homes.
GSMA project
In March 2022, Bhumijo received a GSMA grant to digitalise the operation of its public toilets. With the grant, Bhumijo trialled a suite of technologies, including a touchless entry system, and integration of an Android mobile app for users to pay for a subscription and receive information on hygiene. These services are available through a subscription or pay-per-use model. Bhumijo’s centres have a separate area for women, ensuring their privacy and safety.
Outcomes
Received a grant from the VITOL Foundation and additional follow-on grant funding for business expansion.
Traction
- There were more than 3.35 million walk-in users as of March 2025, just over 390,000 of whom were women.
- There are just over 4,000 subscribers to Bhumijo’s digitalised toilets.
Founder
Farhana Rashid
Message from the Founder
“Bhumijo envisions to build a future with dignified, healthy and smart public toilets that everyone in Bangladesh deserves. We are grateful to have the GSMA as a partner in this journey.”
– Farhana Rashid, FounderÂ
Team | 51–200 employees
Blogs
Understanding mobile money interoperability, its evolution and path to a sustainable future
Interoperability refers to different systems, devices, applications or products connecting...
Digitalising public toilets – Bhumijo’s affordable smart toilets in BangladeshÂ
In May 2021, GSMA launched the GSMA Innovation Fund for...
Introducing Bhumijo: Digitalising public washrooms in Dhaka
Bhumijo is a social start-up working to ensure hygienic, inclusive...
Videos
Donor(s)
SDGs impacted
