Elephant toilets in rural Liberia

Liberia is currently recovering from 14 year long civil war that ended in 2003. Pump Aid worked with other NGOs training former child soldiers in Refugee camps in Ghana. These camps are now being decommissioned, with refugees returning to Liberia to rebuild their lives and communities. Pump Aid’s involvement was in transferring of knowledge and key skills to help communities rebuild essential access to water sources and sanitation.

Goals overview

To combat the destructive spread of water-borne diseases in rural Liberia by providing adequate sanitation and handwashing facilities, and by teaching proper hygiene practice. Ensure that the community has adequate knowledge to maintain the sanitation facilities, as there are insufficient tools and skills to rebuild infrastructure after the civil war.

Current status

A team of 6 Pump Aid staff members have been in Liberia since March 2009. The team has held meetings with key stakeholder with district commissioners to engage communities. The digging and lining of pits in the identified sites is progressing well. To date 12 ready pits have been completely lined, with a few sites ready with bricks for the walls. 16 elephant toilet slabs have been cast and are ready for distributing to the prepared sites. Community mobilization continues to prepare other sites for elephant toilets. This means 320 people are already benefiting from safe and adequate sanitation.

Project plan

The Elephant toilet is a pit latrine that is dug by the community, using home made un- burnt bricks for the walls and a thatched roof. An old plastic can and ball point pen tube and lid provides the hand washing system which uses Seso, a naturally occurring soap plant with antiseptic properties. Pump Aid provides the elephant slab which uses just one bag of cement and incorporates a urine diversion channel which lengthens the life of the pit, with urine diversion enriching a compost pit behind the toilet that can be used on crops. When the pit is full the slab can be removed and reused, making it a
toilet for life. A fruit tree can be planted into the old pit, making use of the rich soil.

The steps to be taken are:
Site verification
Pit digging and lining
Community mobilisation and health & hygiene education
Elephant toilet slab production
Building Elephant toilets and handwashing facilities along with community members

Expected outcomes

• Transferring key life skills and knowledge to communities
• 132 persons recieving health and hygiene education

Involving the communities in all aspects of building the toilets, and giving training workshops will ensure ownership of the resources. It also ensures that knowledge has been transferred, eliminating the need for outside help and giving confidence to people as they rebuild their communities.