 What we do |
Feeling the benefits of improved sanitationWorking together
Rosemary Mande is part of a team of six latrine builders in the focus village of Sichiyanda, Zambia, where the community have worked together to dig a well and family latrines. "There are three men and three women in our team", she explains. "I helped build our family latrine first - so we showed we could do it. It was a family affair, the boys helped to dig too. "It took us about four days to dig it and two days to build the structure around it. We are really happy that we are able to do it ourselves - we have shown that we can do it, and it means that it is not difficult to change. "I have a VIP latrine now. Before I just used to use the bush, but since having the latrine it is so much cleaner. Flies used to land in the bush and then follow us back to the village bringing the dirt with them. Now this doesn't happen - and it is cleaner and safer. "Everyone here is happier now and we have all become involved in the project. I did a lot last year and this year we hope we can help everyone else build latrines as well. Twenty-eight households now have them. Being able to do this makes us feel really good and positive about our futures." Cleaning up the streets
In Pakistan WaterAid and its partner (Anjuman Samaji Behbood or ASB) work with poor communities living in densely populated areas to gain access to sanitation and clean water. Before the streets of the Hasan Pura district of Faisalabad were filled with sewage and rubbish. Now, though, life has changed thanks to a vast ASB/WaterAid project which laid underground piping to safely take the waste to the main municipal sewer line. Mrs Shahda Parveen describes the differences the project has made to her family. "I have been here for over ten years and when we arrived the streets were not clean and we were unable to walk along many streets because of the waste. "When ASB/WaterAid started getting involved in the area I was impressed when I heard about the benefits of sanitation and I asked my landlord to get involved. I was very impressed when I saw the initial construction and realised that this was the only way life could get better. "My children used to play in the dirty streets and become filthy amongst open sewers. Many children are healthier and no longer get sick. Now water is piped to our home from the municipal supply. "The landlord pays for the water and for the sewerage bill. Now my younger children will start school and they will be able to be schooled for longer than the older children were - now we can afford it as now we don't pay for so much medicine." Compost for free
Mwenyenguzu Alifa is married with three children and lives in Mzalule village in the Salima district of Malawi. In March 2001 he built his own ecological sanitation (eco san) latrine. "I heard about WaterAid's idea to build eco san latrines. These latrines can have two pits where you let the contents of the first pit decompose whilst you use the second pit. "By the time the second pit is full the first pit can be dug out and the compost used for our gardens. "WaterAid has told me how to line my pits with concrete rings and will help with the costs. This is an idea I was very compelled to take up as my old pits were lined with wicker and kept collapsing because of the sandy soil. "I'm the first person to try digging up my disused latrine pit. WaterAid told us about how it was possible to use the decomposed contents of our old latrines for compost. "I was amazed that the contents of my old pit was just like compost, not at all smelly and maggoty like I thought it would be. I quickly saw the advantage of using compost from old pits as my plants would benefit. "I also walk up to 6km a day trying to spread the word of eco san and show how we can build these latrines. The benefits to our area will be immense if we can all grow healthier plants because of the compost. "The soil here is not the best so having free compost is a revelation. I want everyone to have eco san."
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