Latrine Project Pics

Happy owner of a completed pit latrine base. Now he has to dig that sucker to 4 meters or so

Our masons, Eddis and Jose, building the rock and mortar wall for the base / support structure

Family members and neighbors watching the magic happen

Mixing mortar for the latrine base / support structure

Eddis and Jose finishing up

The plate’s almost finished. The 4″ PVC tube is there for ventilation.

Once the hole is dug to 3-4 meters (depending on family size) the owner prepares hefty sticks over the hole so that we can pour the cement latrine floor

Its quite the science – the men shave away at the sticks until they are even

While they prepare the sticks, the mason gets to work tying the rebar cage for the floor. This gives the concrete tensile strength – aka keeps it from falling apart over time.

The owner throws “yagua” (aka Palm Tree bark) and old pieces of tin over the hole so no concrete leaks through, then we throw the rebar cage on top and we’re ready

Mix a big pile of concrete

Carry it to the form

Putting on the finishing touches. This is their new beautiful toilet seat

Movío working hard to finish his latrine shelter. He wanted a bigger one so he used a few sheets of tin that he had lying around

Geraldo’s start at his latrine shelter

Mecho, Miguela and their family. Completed their floor last week.

Fernando, Robelina and their family in front of their finished latrine! There are actually some children missing – 9 kids in total

Inside of Fernando’s latrine

Neno’s latrine. He had a man named Berto (a local carpenter) build the housing so it looks really nice

One of my masons, Jose, with his finished latrine

Pictures from the latrine work!! I tried to explain the process in the photos, but let me give a more in depth look at the community involvement and project program.

Money

The “Proyecto de Letrinizacion las Barreras” is supported and funded by 5 organizations:
1. Maple Valley Presbyterian Church and friends. $1800-ish. Maple Valley, WA. They got the ball rolling and gave us hope for the project.
2. Project Las Americas. $4000+. Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. This organization matched all other raised funds plus some to make this thing happen.
3. World Vision, Jimani. $1000. They jumped on board when we realized we were going to be short cash to finish the project. But even better, they are now helping to form a group of health promoters in the community to educated families about child nutrition, latrine use and local illnesses.
4. City Hall Los Rios de Neyba. Los Rios, Bahoruco, Dominican Republic. They are providing free transportation of all the materials to Las Barreras. This is no easy task folks, especially since the road has 4000 ft elevation gain, is filled with pot holes and is largely unpaved.
5. Association of Agriculture and Community, Las Barreras. This is the local organization in Las Barreras. This group includes all the homeowners who are responsible for all the manual labor and spreading the word.

Community Responsibilities

Each homeowner that wants a latrine must also contribute an arm and a leg:
- $12
- Dig the hole (up to 5 meters deep in some homes)
- Carry materials to the home. This includes digging for sand 2 miles away and carry it home on the back of horses
- Help build the latrine: mix concrete, cut sticks, look for rocks, etc
- Build their own enclosure. Look for wood and nail together the provided tin sheeting
- Attend meetings. Meetings about health, latrine use and the project in general!

When they do all these things we pay a mason to come help them build and give them all the necessary materials! I hope that helps you to understand the project better.

Latrine Count UPDATE as of October 5, 2012:

Holes dug: 50
Base/Support structure: 40
Latrine plate / toilet: 30
Latrine housing: 6

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