This paper is based on the reflections of Samuel Musyoki who participated as an observer and co-facilitator at the CLTS training workshop held in Dar-es-Salaam by Plan International between the 11th and 18th February 2007. Samuel Musyoki is a trainer and facilitator in participatory approaches/methods to development who was coordinating a networking and capacity building programme on participatory action research and learning with the Participation Power and Social Change team at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the time of writing, before joining Plan Kenya as Strategic Programme Support).

When a practice becomes widespread enough, then it has ‘gone to scale’. But
increasing the intensity and spread of a particular practice is not a linear or obvious
endeavour.

The paper proposes that going to scale is multi-dimensional and complex. It focuses
on Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS): an innovation in participatory methodology, as well as a unique approach to sanitation. The paper describes how CLTS offers important lessons to understand spread which is critical for scaling up in an effective way. The main argument is that spread and adaptation are important aspects of scaling up, which is often neglected in the literature.