Bentinky Latrine Project – Senegal

This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION.

Location
Bentinky, Kaffrine, Senegal

Community Description
Bentinky, Arrondisement of Sagna, Departement of Malem Hodar, Kaffrine Region, Senegal.

Mbentinky has a population of 500, and is located 20km from Kaffrine, Senegal.

Problem Addressed
Compounds with small children are in special need of latrines to reduce diarrheal and respiratory disease. The goal of this project is to improve the sanitary conditions of the community through the reduction of open defecation within compounds.

By combining the construction of latrines with a training on proper hand-washing techniques and the constructions of tippy taps, the community will have knowledge that they can continue to apply proper sanitation methods to reduce the contamination in their homes in the future.

Project Description
This project will include the construction of pit latrines with no walls or cover within 10 compounds in the village. There are 27 households that have small children enrolled in the local French-Arab school that do not have latrines within the compounds. Ten of these will have be chosen at random to obtain latrines.

Each household will dig their own 2 m pit. Only households that build their own pits will get aide to build a latrine. Those household will also provide the sand and gravel necessary for the construction of the cement slab that goes on top. They will also be responsible for all materials for the project.

Once the pits have been built and pass approval, a mason will be hired to align the pits with cement blocks and to build the 2m by 2m cement slab on top. The concrete slabs will have a simple round hole of 20 cm diameter in the center.

While the construction of latrines is getting done by the household adults, the Peace Corps volunteer will be working with the school principal and teachers to conduct a training at the school on proper handwashing techniques and the construction of tippy tap handwashing stations (See tippytap.org). Students will then be instructed to build their own hand washing stations in their households. The Peace Corps Volunteer will visit each participating household to help build their tippy tap handwashing stations.

One month after the construction of the latrines and the handwashing training, the Peace Corps Volunteer will visit each household to monitor and evaluate the use of latrines and the proper use of handwashing techniques and/or of tippy tap hand washing stations.

Project Impact
282 people will directly benefit.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Denise Garcia

Monitoring and Maintenance
Mbentinky School Parent’s Association is the local community organization, and all household will be visited by the local PCV Denise, 1 month after latrine construction and tippy tap/handwashing training.

Comments
It is possible that once these 10 latrines are built, Water Charity will go on and do a follow up project in the village to complete latrines for all the other compounds that want them installed. This will be at the discretion of Denise or whoever the current PCV stationed there is at that time. Any funds raised in excess of the amount needed for this project will go towards future projects in the area.

Fundraising Goal of Project
$750

Dollar Amount Needed
$0 – This project became infeasible, and was not fully implemented. There was no expenditure of funds. Donations were re-allocated to other projects in Senegal.