Latrines Project in Uganda
Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa that lies almost completely within the Nile basin. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania.
In this village many of the families do not have sanitation facilities. Unmanaged human waste pollutes water sources and food gardens, and unsafe latrines occasionally collapse.
In this project, the Rural Agency for Sustainable Development, in cooperation with local leaders, will build dome-slab low-cost latrines for twenty households in dire need of safe and hygienic sanitation solutions.
Our funds will be used for the materials, including cement and sand. Most of the labor is being contributed by the community.
Six youths will receive on-the-job construction training so they will have the skills to improve their own livelihoods.
Water and sanitation interventions such as this one are most effective when paired with education, so local leaders and nursery school teachers in training will hold hygiene workshops for children and adult recipients of the latrines.
This project, in addition to addressing an immediate and important community need, will be a valuable training experience for teachers, youth and community leaders as they work together to improve the public health of their community.
This project is being directed by Peace Corps Volunteer Shari Quan, who will oversee project funds, ensure that the project is completed within budget and on schedule, evaluate the outcome, and carry forward the beneficial aspects of the project.
The Peace Corps/Uganda program was reestablished in 2000, after its suspension in 1999. Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda are currently engaged in HIV/AIDS activities in addition to other public health and social service activities.
You can designate that your contribution be used specifically for this project by clicking on the Donate button below.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.
Conclusion of Latrines Project in Uganda
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Shari Quan. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK
HERE.
This project was to build low-cost latrines for 20 households, for the benefit of about 160 people.
Shari reports:
The goals of the project were to improve community health and build marketable skills by constructing 20 household latrines, holding hygiene workshops, training youth to construct dome-slab latrines, and training local leaders and students to facilitate workshops.
Accordingly, 20 latrines were built at households in the village by the Rural Agency for Sustainable Development (RASD) and 4 youths in training.
The project focused on training these villagers in a marketable skill that would enable them to improve their own economic livelihoods while simultaneously addressing an immediate community need. These people now have the skills and knowledge to work independently and make money in this and neighboring communities while improving community health.
One workshop for adults and three workshops for children were led by students and local leaders to impart hygiene education, and educational promotional calendars were printed and distributed to beneficiaries around the community.
The latrine recipients have been required to repay the initial investment of the materials in their latrines, and collection of this money will allow the RASD to continue this latrine-building program and extend the work to other villages without the aid of additional grant funding, thereby making it a sustainable community project.
We are grateful to Shari for completing this important project.