Village Sanitation Initiative

N/A

Goals overview

The reuse of organic waste and compost will lead to an increased food production. The project will improve health, and will employ 6 people.
The project serves as an example for other villages.
Raising awareness about the pollution and starting water protection measures is affordable.
Better management of the human excreta will improve the groundwater quality on the long term.

Current status

The inhabitants of the neighboring villages Vrata and Garla Mare depend for their sanitation on unhygienic and ground water polluting pit latrines. The water from the wells is seriously polluted. Unemployment is severe; a sewage system is unaffordable for the villages. In a previous project, dry urine diverting (UD) toilets and washbasins were introduced as a sustainable solution for improving the sanitation and hygiene: Some local citizens were trained for building and using UD toilets.

Project plan

A sanitation team of villagers and a local NGO will be established who supervise the implementation of the project in Vrata and Garla Mare. By providing information and financial means, the citizens will be supported in obtaining a safe and sustainable sanitation system and hand wash facilities. In cooperation with the prosperity toilet owner, design, materials, procedure of construction and costs will be estimated. Local employment will be stimulated, while the UD toilet seats and the bricks will be made locally. Labor has to be provided by the families. The families will be trained on operation and maintenance of the toilet, on hygiene, composting, and on a safe reuse of the toilet products in their garden. The goal is to provide 10 percent of the households with safe sanitation until 2010. That means approximately 200 UD toilets have to be constructed

The families are involved in making design and selection of materials and will contribute with labor and finances. In particular women, who traditionally take care of the hygiene and garden, will be trained how to clean the toilet and reuse safe toilet products.
The UD toilets contribute to protect groundwater against infiltration of human excreta, elimination of the pathogen transfer from pit latrines to food by flies. Hygiene and feeling of well-being will be increased.