Emergency: Relief + Reconstruction

Toilets that make Compost

SOIL in action:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb9AiHkhg5o&feature=player_embedded#

Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) + SOIL believe that in order to develop affordable services for underserved communities, local enterprises need to be fostered and supported. Small renewable energy, sanitation, water, and other innovative firms need financing and training to build the power systems, schools, toilets, water systems, biomass, agricultural processing, communications and other forms of infrastructure that can change the basic standard of living for people currently living in poverty.

The following is a facility recently completed in Hiaiti.

Facts at a glance:
Double room community dry composting latrine
Number of Benificiaries: 300
Community: Petite Anse, Haiti

The rains that accompanied Hurricane Noel in November made for unpleasant walking for Petite-Anse’s residents. Mud on unpaved streets churned and mixed with litter and raw sewage in this neighborhood of Cap Haitien in Northern Haiti.As the waters subsided, however, a local community group AFAPA (Asosyasyon Fanm Aktif Petit Anse) banded together with AIDG and its local partner SOIL/SOL to construct a community dry composting latrine. In an area prone to flooding, this type of latrine can significantly reduce contamination of drinking water. The public toilets are located in the rear of the public market in Petite-Anse where hundreds of women work each day selling produce and other goods. There, it serves 300 people. Prior to this project, the only available toilet in the area was a rundown latrine that was nearly full, difficult to access and surrounded by garbage. AFAPA chose to charge people from the market a small fee to use the toilet (5 Gourdes = ~12 cents US). The money is used to pay someone to manage the latrines and to buy toilet paper and cleaning supplies. The toilet was opened to the public on December 17 and remains in excellent shape.

Sources: http://www.aidg.org/