Students from University of Rhode Island will be working with the locals to construct 15 latrines in needy homes throughout the rural community.
106 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean live without proper sanitation. Globally that number sky rockets to 2.4 billion. An estimated 1,00 children die each day from diarrheal diseases that are completed preventable with access to clean water and adequate sanitation. When individuals do not have access to adequate sanitation, they are defecating out in the open, in bucket toilets, hanging toilets, or in toilets that flush untreated into the environment.
We will be constructing 15 Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines. These latrines allow ventilation and we install an actual specially-made toilet for latrines. VIP latrines are ideal for rural and remote communities, as it requires low maintenance and no running water. With a latrine in these 15 homes, the family members won't have to defecate in the open or walk to the nearest communal toilet (see attached pictures of the current latrines being used daily in La Penda).
VIP Latrines are more than just a toilet. Clean and safe latrines are pre-requisites for health, dignity, privacy, and education. Young women do not have to miss school days during the weeks that they have their menstrual cycle. Children grow up with the privacy of closing the door while they use the restroom. Overall hygiene of a community increases as you educate the community on how to properly wash your hands after using the toilet or how to treat diarrheal diseases.
