From Treasurer Jim Swallow:
By the beginning of the school year in January 2022, the student body of Tloma Primary School had increased to an unmanageable size. Authorities had already created a new school for kindergartners and first graders, so those students – about 200 in all – were sent to the new school. This school is known as Kilimani School. It is near Tloma Primary, and is a new and spacious facility.
There was, however, one big problem: the toilets. When Sulle, our main “man on the ground” and Tloma Primary School teacher of many years, saw the condition of the toilet facilities, he recognized the major health hazard and immediately knew something had to be done. He consulted “engineers” familiar with the proper construction of toilets in this part of Tanzania, made up a materials list, lined up local community volunteers to do the work, and contacted us at Tloma Giving.
Within about four months, Kilimani had a large, clean toilet facility where these kindergartners and first graders can do their business, wash their hands, and students and staff can easily keep the place clean.
Here’s how the project looked from ground-breaking to the finished facility, ready for the students and staff to use:
This is what was previously going to serve as the toilets for 200 kindergarteners and first graders at the new Kilimani School. Pretty bleak!
Although it seems primitive to westerners, a toilet system like the one shown in this illustration is “state of the art” in parts of Tanzania where running water is scarce and sewer systems are few and far between. This illustration shows the components of a properly constructed system. For obvious reasons, the deeper the pit, the better. They’re pumped out like a septic tank is every few years. You want plenty of air flow, privacy, and shelter from the elements. A vent pipe and toilet fittings with a closing flap (not shown here) are necessary to minimize odors. Ideally, there’s a water supply nearby for a hand washing station, and for keeping the stalls clean.
First comes the site preparation. The area is measured, marked off, and the digging begins.
The upper part of the pit is lined with cement blocks that also serve as part of the foundation.
Then comes the serious digging. The deeper the better.
The pit is covered, inlet pipes are placed, and foundation trenches are dug for the rest of the structure.
The bricks are delivered and distributed.
Proud fathers and engaged community members get started on the building.
Nice work, gentlemen! The roof is designed to catch rain water, and a storage tank is installed to supplement the meager community water allotment the school gets. The beginnings of the hand washing stations are on either side of the tank.
We hired plumbers to install the actual toilet fixtures. These are “high tech” for the region with one-way flaps to keep the odors from exiting anywhere but the vent. There’s also a water outlet in each stall for cleaning.
This video shows the plumber testing the one-way flap.
The plumbers we hired also built and installed the hand washing station, compete with tile and limited flow faucets.
Some enthusiastic students tested the system for us.
After some painting and cleanup, the project is done and toilets are ready for use. Total cost- US$3200, paid for by a couple of our generous donors!