Medina Serign Mass Health Center Composting Toilet Project – The Gambia

Location
Medina Serign Mass, North Bank Region, The Gambia

Community Description
Medina Serign Mass is located in the North Bank region of The Gambia. It is a rural farming community of approximately 2,000 people. It is the home village of the Grand Imam of The Gambia, and is host to many large religious ceremonies every year.

The community is home to a basic cycle school (grades 1-8) and also the Medina Serign Mass Health Center.

The health center has its own well. However, the existing pit latrine in the compound has large cracks and is unsafe to use.

Project Description
This project is to build a public composting toilet inside the Health Center compound.

The design is for a two-chamber above-ground composting toilet. The enclosure built on top of the chambers will be of cement block, with a timber and tin roof.

The chambers below will be 60 cm deep and extend 3 m behind the enclosures. Each chamber will each have an access cover at the back, and a cover to accept waste.

Each chamber will be lined with millet stalks and/or grasses (depending on the season) and will be fitted with a drain pipe to drain excess moisture. Vent pipes will draw air for oxygenation of the compost.

Ashes, collected from neighboring compounds and stored in each enclosure, will be added to the compost pile each time waste is added. When the pile begins to compost, it will be raked toward the back of the chamber to make room for new additions.

The compost produced will be used for the garden on the health center grounds.

Project funds will be used to purchase construction materials, including cement, corrugated tin, timbers, sand, gravel, and rebar.

The Medina Serign Mass Health Center Committee will be in charge of construction and the resident caretaker will be in charge of maintenance.

A senior member of the committee (who is also the village development committee chair) has experience with construction of many types of toilets, including the planned composting toilet.

Project Impact
All 2,000 residents of Medina Serign Mass will benefit from the set of composting latrines.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
James Blaine Byers

Comments
This is a high-impact low-cost solution for a critical need, toilet facilities for a health center visited by every member of the community. The composting design is not only environmentally sound, but produces the usable byproduct of fertilizer for the garden.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of the Elmo Foundation together friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer James Blaine Byers.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify James of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by him and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.