Sanitation project in Malawi Africa
Sanitation project in Malawi Africa
The Rotary Club of Doylestown partnered with the Rotary Club of Bwaila (Malawi) and Rotary International to fund the construction of 16 eco-sanitary latrines in Malawi Africa. Below is a picture of a completed unit at the Kaweche School.
Background of the project
Lack of good sanitary facilities is a major challenge to people who live in the rural areas of Malawi Africa. As a result, there are many poor hygiene associated diseases like diarrhea that affect the people in this area, particularly the children.
Scope of project
The project constructed 16 eco-sanitary (eco-san) pit latrines for:
- 7 double door (four chamber) units for school locations
- 9 single door (two chamber) units for family situations
This project directly helped hundreds of people and it had the added benefit of exposing the technology and raising awareness of better sanitation to many more people throughout the area.
The indirect benefit of the eco-san latrines was the harvesting of both compost manure and liquid manure. The compost manure is used as the basal dressing fertilizer while the liquid manure is used as the top dressing fertilizer for the vegetable or maize fields.
The community was actively involved in the construction by supplying local materials and labor. Proper training on management and utilization was provided to the various communities. The nature of the eco-san latrines also gives an opportunity for sustainable usage as the households will be required to harvest the manure thereby emptying the chamber and the process goes on and on.
Project budget
The total project budget was $22,919.
Rotary funded 89.3% ($20,456) and the local community funded 10.7% ($2,463).
- $9,828 Construction of 7 - 2 door eco-sanitary pit latrines ($1,404 ea)
- $7,263 Construction of 9 - 1 door eco-sanitary pit latrines ($807 ea)
- $2,246 Latrine training (care and maintenance)
- $1,123 Manure training (how to harvest and use the manure)
- $2,459 Misc
What is an eco-sanitary latrine?
The eco-san toilet is a waterless, dehydration / evaporation system that provides a safe, non-polluting and cost effective solution to the worldwide sanitation problem. It offers a standard of respectability and convenience, comparable to a waterbourne system, yet without the prohibitive costs and obvious strain on precious water resources. It is well suited for an area such as South Africa that continuously experiences droughts and water shortages.