A sanitation project with societal demonstration purposes and rooted on a resource recovery concept was carried out in Sao Tome and Principe within an integrated water resources management initiative. Therefore, a set of five full-scale bathrooms equipped with composting toilets and urine diversion dehydration toilets were designed and built in the peri-urban area of Neves. The first assessment regarding toilet design, construction costs, technical performance and social acceptance is positive and denoted affordability and effectiveness. Monitoring and proper operation is the next challenge in a learning process and social innovation towards a wider application of ecological sanitation in Sao Tome and Principe.