Our toilet project is moving forward. Obstacles come and go; community member support and ingenuity allows work to push on. Several of the challenges coming our way are not unique to our Toilet Project, but are seen with any development work in a third-world land. Transport and material availability tend to disappoint and this frustrates most project participants. If it weren’t for African resilience, I am not sure development would ever be seen.
Today, I joined the School Governing Body in a parent meeting. Meant to inform the parents about the project, the meeting parents decided to increase their community contribution by providing R10 (approximately $1.50) for a ‘toilet project opening’ celebration to take place once school reopens in July. The school children parents have also agreed to come together and manage the grounds surrounding the toilets to allow for the children to pass easily from the school building to the toilet and wash center building. Pictured is Winnie, the School Governing Body chairperson speaking with the student’s parents.
In the past weeks, I have traveled to purchase construction materials with Joyce, our project leader. Joyce is becoming quite the negotiator and organized accountant. I sat in a bank queue for 4hours to receive an increase in my daily checking allowance, once at R4, 000 the construction material purchases required five times that limit. Our project team preferred working with Cash Build that promises free material transport, but having just left the rainy season deliveries are quite backed up. Most of the materials were able to be delivered by week close and fortunately this has not seriously interfered construction progress. As of now, we are still waiting on clay bricks. Most structures in the township and rural village area are made of home-made concrete bricks. Our School Governing Body decided against this construction material that tends to deteriorate. Our challenges include several pauses in construction as brick loads continue to be shipped.
I will be in touch in the following week to share another tale. Although, I have been living in this village of 9,000 as the only white for the past two years, it is not until now that I am having more of a presence in the community. Pictures attached show community members working as brick layers. These men typically don't have work opportunities, especially those that are local, so this is providing a great deal for their families. I’m being greeted by a whole new slew of community members that know me for my work with this project. I am happy to share with all of them the incredible support that I have from friends and family back home. At the parent meeting I introduced all of you and your vision for increasing community awareness in health and sanitation. Let me know if you have questions or areas of interests that you wish for the coming writing to include. Thank you once again for your contribution!
