Sanitation Projects

Materials: Wood, sheet metal, nails.

Each sanitation project involves the construction of VIP latrines for 16 - 20 families in need of improved sanitation. Bathrooms that are safe, private, and sanitary improve the public health and standard of living for families living in rural poverty, while protecting their local water sources.

VIP LATRINES

We build ventilated-improved pit (VIP) latrines to provide families with a bathroom that is safe, private and sanitary. The homes that benefit from new VIP latrines either don't have bathrooms at all and rely on neighbors/practice open-defection, or they have make-shift structures that are unsafe. VIP latrines prevent the contamination of local water sources and the spread of disease, but they also provide families with safety from collapsable structures and the dignity they deserve.

Tools: Hammer & shovel

On a sanitation project, volunteers help build sanitary bathrooms for families in need. You’ll learn how to use a hammer to assemble the wooden structure of our latrines, and how to mix cement. Our groups build anywhere from two to four latrines per day.

Lend a Hand:

Serve on a sanitation project.

A GLOBAL CRISIS

2.4 BILLION PEOPLE LACK ACCESS TO PROPER SANITATION

• Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio and exacerbates stunting.

• Poor sanitation reduces human well-being, social and economic development due to impacts such as anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and lost educational opportunities.

• Open defecation perpetuates a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. The countries where open defection is most widespread have the highest number of deaths of children aged under 5 years.