SAFE WATER 22 LATRINES SECURE SAFE WATER IN TOGO In rural areas of Togo, only 40 % of the population has access to drinking water from safe water sources within reasonable distances. In 2016, we concluded a project in partnership with the Danish NGO BØRNEfonden to bring safe water, latrines and hygiene to 3 villages about 25 km off the main road in Togo’s Plateaux region. In these villages, sanitary and hygiene practices needed to first be addressed in order to secure safe water. Haïto, Bayakopé and Guèdèglèlè are some of the poorest rural villages in a region already suffering from poor access to safe water. Two of the villages fetched contaminated water from the river. One site fetched water from an old hand pump, causing quarrels and long waiting times – and the hard work of pumping (they nicknamed the pump ”Sick man can’t use”). The schools did not have access to latrines or water for drinking or handwashing, and the villagers were not aware of the problems caused by open defecation. Watch: Where to get a drink https://vimeo.com/173319753 The beauty is in the simplicity Before the project began in 2015, none of the 1,100 inhabitants in Haito had a latrine. In the best case, the families would share a hole in the ground in the bush, or just urinate or defecate in the open with Family latrine Komi Houlegadji no toilet paper, no privacy and no hand washing. “I didn’t know how important it is. We had no idea there were so many problems with open defecation,“ says Komi Houlegadji. Komi Houlegadji, his two wives and their 12 children now all use the latrine. Because of this, bad odour, illness and dirty water is history in Haito. Village life has changed through construction of latrines and a new understanding of the benefits of proper hygiene. “There is no more need to go into the bush at night or in the rain, and my family’s health has improved a lot. Before, our children were often sick, but they have been healthy since we began using the latrine. There are so many benefits,” he explains. Komi Houlegadji’s brand new latrine doesn’t look like much. The walls and the roof are made from wood, rope and dried palm leaves. Inside is a hole in the ground, dug by Komi himself – covered with a wooden lid to keep the flies out. “It’s the simplicity that makes it so sustainable. Anyone here can build and repair their own latrine from simple materials and thereby improve their family’s health remarkably,” explains Iben Rasmine Marcussen, programme coordinator at BØRNEfonden. NGOs sometimes experience that fancy toilet buildings made from concrete and tiles are not being used for the intended purpose. “They look too nice compared to the village houses, so they have been used as storage rooms or family kitchens rather than for personal hygiene,” she says. In addition to the family latrines, Haïto village has built a public toilet and made a declaration that all vendors and customers at the weekly market must use the toilet - or pay a fine! Sizing does matter While the project’s financial and organisational sustainability seems quite robust (the water committees are saving up and water is paid for by usage instead of flat fee), the sizing of the water infrastructure has given us reason to look into designing a second phase of the project. The installation of the three systems is of excellent quality and guarantees delivery of substantial amounts of clean water. However, in one of the three villages, the system delivers so much water
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