School Latrine Recently Opened

Most people living in developed countries take reliable toilet facilities for granted, but 2.6 billion people or 39 per cent of the world’s population continue to live without access to improved sanitation (a facility that hygienically separates human excrement from human contact).  A large share of these people live in sub-Saharan Africa. 

It is within this context that GHEI and the community of Humjibre celebrate the completion last week of GHEI’s community latrine project.  A short celebration was held on Thursday, July 26, to formally open the latrine for use and hand the keys over to the teachers of Anglican Junior High School, where the latrine is located.

 

In time-honoured tradition, one of the town elders poured out a libation and prayed to the ancestors, asking them to hear his prayers and to bless the use of the new latrine.  The Chief then spoke, urging students and teachers alike to show their appreciation for what GHEI and the community has done for them by taking care of the new facility through proper use.  He also gave his guarantee that nobody outside of the school would be permitted to use the new latrine. 

 

A young female student stood by the Chief's side, holding a tray with a pair of scissors and the latrine keys.  After concluding his remarks, the Chief cut the ribbon that festooned the entrances to the four private stalls.  The elders then went in to inspect the craftsmanship of the building, followed by the teachers, and finally the curious young students themselves. 

Before this latrine was built, students had to relieve themselves in the bush some distance from the school.  In the hot summer months, the wafting stench was unbearable, impeding the learning process.  Truancy was also a problem, as students were tempted to skip out on the rest of the school day once they left school property.

Although three of the international Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have already been met before the 2015 deadline (those related to poverty, slums and water), at the current rate of progress the MDG sanitation target will fall short by almost 1 billion people.  And even if this goal were to be met, some 1.7 billion people would still be left with inadequate access to improved sanitation facilities.  The need is particularly great in the rural part of sub-Saharan Africa, where open defecation is still commonly practised.  GHEI's latrine project will go a long way to help address this need in the community of Humjibre.  GHEI would like to thank ChooseAneed for their assistance in the construction of this new latrine, as well as the Chief and elders of Humjibre for their ongoing support.

Source:

Report of the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation, "Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water–2010 Update"

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