Latrines for Tuisquimak

One of the ideals of Peace Corps that sets it apart from most other development agencies and volunteer organizations is that volunteers go to their communities without a cent to execute projects. Each month we are given just what we need to pay our rent, buy food and perform our duties, nothing extra. This isn't to make our lives more difficult (though it obviously does create challenges and make us creative) but to put us on the same economic level as our neighbors so that we can truly enter into life with them.

We are put in our communities as resources, but not economic ones. We are there to learn and to teach. However, every once in a while volunteers are smacked in the face with a need in their communities that the people they are working with are struggling to resolve alone. In these cases, the volunteer is allowed to seek outside funding to help with the project but is encouraged to do it in a sustainable way in coordinated efforts with the community so that everyone learns and benefits.

This is exactly what happened when I visited a womens' group in Tuisquimak. I was giving a talk about nutrition and needed to use the bathroom. The women blushed and started to talk among themselves and then sent me to a very rudimentary latrine constructed of bits of wood and tarp. They were obviously very embarrassed about the situation. A month later my co-workers and I returned to Tuisquimak to do a community diagnostic assessing the needs of the community. The need they expressed most fervently was for latrines to improve the hygiene and sanitation of their homes and families. The group is relatively small, 41 women, and after talking with María, we decided the project was feasible and necessary and began looking for funding.

The funding was found in various places. First, I was adamant that a large percentage of the project come directly from the community. They agreed happily to do all of the manual labor for the projects, and to purchase materials and food for all of the trainings that are a necessary part of the project. Second, we wrote a grant proposal for USAID's Small Projects Assistance fund (specifically for PC volunteers) and were approved for the materials for the little houses that cover the latrines. That left the cement latrine bodies themselves. For that I wrote a letter to my home church and local newspaper explaining the project and my service. To date, about half of the money has come in (just over $1,000) and we are hopeful that the rest will soon arrive.

I'll be updating my blog as the project progresses. We hope to have the money from USAID in less than a month and will immideately begin construction so as to avoid being caught in the rainy season. Check back and see how the project moves along! If you are interested in donating to this project email me at cskeniston@gmail.com


The president and secretary of the womens' group


They gave us pumpkins from their garden!


The "latrine" mentioned above. The new ones will be built of metal and wood and have actual toilet seats!