We are Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Togo, West Africa. We want to share our knowledge that we have learned here as well as share resources across organizations. I hope to create a free library of shared development knowledge here on our blog as well as our usual travel and alternative living posts.
Access to proper sanitation, particularly toilets, plays a pivotal role in the development of countries worldwide, especially in regions facing economic challenges. The absence of adequate sanitation infrastructure poses significant health risks. Efforts to improve toilet facilities in developing countries are crucial for fostering healthier communities and facilitating sustainable development.
Building toilets can be expensive and materials needed to build certain kinds of pit latrines are often not easily found in the developing world. The initial building costs, combined with the costs of upkeep can prevent communities from being able to build large pit latrines. This can be mitigated by building simpler, cheaper and more accessible composting toilets.
A guide to building simple composting toilets written by Eric Tawney, Peace Corps Volunteer, provides all the information needed to construct a simple composting toilet.
“Composting toilet (CT) technology is not new to Vanuatu. Before independence, some of the rural schools on Ambae and North Efate, like Onesua, were using these toilets. The CT design in this manual was adapted from a toilet used in Tonga, Kiribati and Fiji. There are many advantages CTs have over pit, VIP, water sealed toilets and septic systems:
Vanuatu Island Bungalows Association (VIBA) &
- They do not smell when properly maintained.
- They do not pollute the environment or groundwater.
- They do not need to be moved when full.
- They do not use water.
- They are cheaper to build compared to septic systems.
- There is no bad smelling unhygienic septic waste to remove and dispose of.
- They require no digging of pits since they are built on top of the ground, except for the evapotranspiration (ET) beds for treating the urine/liquid.
- They can be built anywhere.”
Tagabe River Management Committee (TRMC)
Community buy-in is a cornerstone of successful development projects and the only way to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. When communities actively participate in the planning, decision-making, and implementation phases, they develop a sense of ownership and pride in the initiatives. This engagement fosters a deeper understanding of local needs, ensuring that the projects are culturally sensitive and tailored to each community’s specific needs. By involving the community, development projects can tap into local knowledge, harness collective resources and create a lasting positive influence that extends far beyond the project’s initial implementation.
I hope that these are useful resources to anyone working in development. Through collaborative efforts and a commitment to implementing these methods, we can turn sanitation challenges into opportunities for positive change.
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