Dear friends,
I am in Haiti for a conference on Sustainable Sanitation in Haiti which begins Tuesday. I had only one day to come visit our projects in Duchity and Pestel, and meet with our team on the ground. But a very worthwhile visit.
3 years ago we began installing our first of 150 Arborloo latrines. For these families it was the first time they had any kind of toilet. An arborloo is basically a concrete platform over a shallow pit in which human excrement is mixed with ash and dry leaves to form compost in the pit. When the pit is filled. it is covered with soil and a fruit tree is planted in it.
Today I visited about a dozen of our Arborloos to see how they were being used. What I learned is that people really appreciate having a place ‘to go’, but that more education is needed to make sure they are maintaining them correctly as a compost site. Our first Avocado tree is a good 15 ft tall, but not yet giving fruit.
Our technicians have a plan to return to each area and review the education especially regarding hygiene.
There has been relatively little cholera in this area, so we are having some impact. I will be glad when there is none.
Tomorrow I return to Port au Prince for the conference where I will have a chance to present our work and network with others working on sustainable sanitation in Haiti.
more later….
love
gigi
