This project has been successfully completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer T.D. Nguyen. To see the history of the project CLICK HERE.
The project was to renovate the restrooms of the Primary School of Village 1 Ban Sub Noi.
T.D. reports:
The four-stall restroom at the primary school of Village 1 was renovated by donations from Peace Corps volunteer of the area, parents of students, and Six Senses Resorts and Spas.
The restroom renovation project at the primary school of Village 1 was done within 5 weeks. Local workmen/women were hired by the school to help supplement their income.
Prior to its current condition, the restroom had been an unsightly and unsanitary structure. Paint was peeling off on its chipped exterior walls; the inner ones were tainted with urine and mildew which gave off strong odor. The two hand washing stations on the sides were also in bad shapes; of five faucets, only two were present at each station. These were also chipped and mildewed.
The roof of the structure had discolored and leaked when it rained.
Unpaved, the front of the restroom got muddy after each rainfall and stayed that way for several days. Since students had to walk through this muddy area to get to it, the restroom became muddy with heavy usage.
T.D. Explains the renovation process:
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Damaged roof panels were replaced with new ones and later painted to match.
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Both exterior and interior walls of the structure were stripped of old paint, cleaned, patched, and repainted.
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Old caulking on the tiled floors and around toilets was removed and replaced with new.
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Water basins within the stalls were stripped of old paint, cleaned, repaved and painted inside and out.
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All four wooden doors of stalls were cleaned, patched, and repainted.
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Exterior walls of hand washing stations were stripped of old paint, repaved, and painted.
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Interior walls of two hand washing stations on each side of restroom were cleaned, patched, and tiled.
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New pipes and faucets were installed at the two hand washing stations.
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Half walls in front of restroom were removed and replaced with a wooden privacy fence.
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Cement was poured to pave the partly grassy area in front of restroom that got muddy when wet to connect it with the paved driveway. Now students will not have to walk through mud to get to the restroom.
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A flowerbed with evergreen shrubs was built just frontal of the privacy fence.
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The cement paved area in front of the restroom is also being used as playground/ volleyball/badminton court.
T.D. reports on how the project was received:
The students are very happy with the renovated restroom. They no longer make faces, and do not have to clean mud of their shoes after each use of the facility. The principal and teachers are also very pleased since the restroom at the school is no longer an eyesore.
The school had just held a sports day over the weekend and was not hesitant to show off its sanitized restroom to visitors. The renovated restroom will no doubt be more appreciated by community members with future events within the sub-district.
The school-principal, teachers, students, and the PTA would like to express their gratitude towards the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as well as that of Water Charity.
We in turn would like to thank T.D. and the community for completing this great project.
