Ablution block and Kitchen for 500 in Nairobi Slum

Now that we have some money coming in for the project, we have begun work on project design. On October 6, KWENCH met with the board of directors of the Kibero Human Development Project (KHDP), where the ablution block and kitchen will be constructed. The board enthusiastically endorsed the project and asked KWENCH to take them to see the biodigester ablution blocks that had been constructed in Kibera. The field visit took place on October 20. KWENCH took the board members to see two existing projects. The first was a three-tiered “biocenter” constructed by the NGO Umande Trust that had toilets and showers on the ground floor, office space on the second floor and an open-air terrace on the top floor where the community could hold meetings. The second project we visited was the first biodigester ablution block that had been constructed in Nairobi by Practical Action. It is one story with a shower, washbasin and four toilets each for men and women, a separate toilet for children and an area outside for washing clothes and dishes and selling water (unfortunately, my camera wasn’t functioning that day so I don’t have photos of the field visit). The board members agreed that, because the KHDP had plenty of space for meetings and offices the Practical Action design was more appropriate than the biocenter. Because the KHDP site is on highly compactable, organic soils that will need to be excavated to bedrock prior to construction, the KHDP board members suggested that the kitchen be built on top of the ablution block to cut the costs of excavation. We plan to start with designs from the Practical Action project for the ablution block and design the second floor, which will house the kitchen, from scratch.