This project, to build ten simple pit latrines in the village, has been completed under the technical direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Mary Haviland.
To read about the beginning of this project, CLICK HERE.
Mary Reports:
All the supplies were bought from local hardware stores and transported to the village. The cement and pipes were brought by car, and the iron was transported by horse-drawn cart.
The first step in the project was for the mason to cut the iron into 2 meter pieces and then tie these pieces into the square frame for the cement platform on top of the douche.
Each house dug the hole for their respective latrine, which is a circular hole of a meter in diameter and 2 meters deep. Each house was also responsible for bringing in small rocks and sand that was used to mix with the cement.
The cement work takes a day to complete. The mason starts in the morning assembling the wood frame. The iron frame is placed inside and cemented in, leaving 2 holes as spaces for the ventilation pipe and the place for urinating/defecating. This is left to dry until the late afternoon.
In the afternoon, a second layer of cement is put on the platform, the ventilation pipe is put in, and the standing place of the latrine is made.
The entire thing dries overnight and is ready for use in the morning. One mason can complete 2 latrines per day.
After the mason work is done, the families usually build a socket fence (out of corn stalks or millet stocks) around the latrine for privacy.
Mary expressed her appreciation, and that of the community, to The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust for providing the funding for this project:
Everyone has been really happy to receive the latrines and I have been hearing a lot of thank you’s. The village is very happy, and since everyone now has latrines to use, it is a lot cleaner as well.
