Another story which describes the sanitation case in India very well was delivered by Sandeep Srivastava working for the Shohratgarh Environmental Society.

The attached story about a school sanitation project in Columbia was delivered by Kim Andersson, Stockholm Environment Institute, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Another story delivered by Jeannette Laramee working for Borda in Zambia

Basic information on school (size, location, type, contact etc.)

The Pestalozzi Zambia Children’s Trust is located on the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia. The initial biogas and DEWATS project was built when the school had 80 children (boarding). Now the school is up to 160 boarding students and another 60 day students. In the next few years these numbers are expected to increase to at least 200 boarding students and several more day students as well. The concept behind the school is to provide an opportunity to access quality education for bright but economically disadvantaged children from rural areas in Zambia. The boarding students, who are on full scholarships for their education, come from nearly all provinces in Zambia and given their circumstances (from very rural, very poor areas) would likely have not had a chance to attend secondary school otherwise.

You can find more info on the school here:
www.pestalozziworld.com/


Please describe the sanitation case from your point of view

Initially, prior to meeting people at BORDA who introduced the DEWATS concept to Pestalozzi, a septic tank and soak-away had been installed at the school. However, within the first 6 months of operations we realized that the septic tank was far undersized for the school (and this was when we only had about 50 children at the school!) Because of the high groundwater table in the area where the school is located, the soak-away was not “soaking-away” as it is intended to do (not that this is a great wastewater solution anyway) and we had a big puddle/mess of wastewater building up near the septic tank. Luckily I was introduced to Christopher Kellner at WASAZA/BORDA and he explained the DEWATS concept to me. I had actually already been looking at ways to separate and reuse the greywater at the school. The DEWATS concept takes it a big step further by enabling energy reuse through biogas, as well as treating all the wastewater to the point where it can safely be reused for agriculture.
Recently we have just installed another biogas digester (40m3 volume). This was for 2 main reasons: (1) to increase energy production and (2) to increase the wastewater treatment capacity of the system as the school had grown quite substantially (the new digester acts as an initial settler for solids).


Why and how is your sanitation project sustainable? What are the sustainable aspects of your case (maybe use the 5 SuSanA criteria as orientation)
As above, I think the most sustainable aspects are:
- Reuse of energy (less reliance on firewood for cooking)
- Reuse of water
- Reuse of nutrients
- Prevents groundwater contamination

Also, the system runs completely by biological processes and requires no energy or chemical inputs. Operation and maintenance requirements are also quite minimal.

The system has also been a great learning tool for the students at Pestalozzi, and fits well in the holistic educational model the Pestalozzi is founded upon. The educational philosophy of the school is “head, heart, and hands” – basically “academic education, social (including environmental) awareness, and vocational skills.” The system offers a perfect learning opportunity to demonstrate the value and reuse of resources. Moreover, the children with scholarships at the Pestalozzi Centre come from all over Zambia, and will take these messages back to their communities thus allowing for a much wider spread of knowledge.


How did you in particular address the issue of washing hands after the toilet use?

We had several workshops to address the importance of handwashing (run mainly by our in-country partners WASAZA – the Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia). The GTO also conducted an educational campaign about handwashing shortly after the initial project was complete (you may want to ask them the details on that – I believe Thilo came to Zambia to run that). The school also has soap readily available in dispensers throughout the school to make handwashing easy and accessible always!


Who did give financial support? Who is covering running costs?

In the initial project the GTO (German Toilet Organization) funded the technical expertise of WASAZA and BORDA as well as one mason specifically trained in biogas construction. Pestalozzi funded the material cost, the labour required for the other two treatment components (the ABR and PGF) and overall construction coordination.

In the second project (the addition of a 40m3 biogas digester), the GTO funded approximately half the cost, while Pestalozzi funded the other half.

Pestalozzi is covering running costs (in general these are quite minimal).

Who is responsible for operation and maintenance?

Pestalozzi

Prudent Gatera from Water for People working in Rulindo, Rwanda, has also submitted another interesting story via email:

School sanitation at Burega School Complex

Background

Burega School Complex is one of the 36 schools Water For People Rwanda has supported with ecological toilets in Rulindo and Kicukiro district in line with its program of supporting sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene education in schools, communities and health centers.

Before the introduction of the urine diversion ecological toilets in Burega School Complex, teachers and students were using unhygienic sanitation facilities, most of which were pit latrines that did not meet government standards or were almost full. The ratio of students per toilet was more than double compared to government requirement of no more than 40 students per toilet. Hand washing stations were nonexistent. Matters used to get complicated when the bell rang and pupils rushed to queue in the few available toilets.

Basic information on school (size, location, type, contact etc)

Burega School Complex is located in Burega Sector of Rulindo district. It is public school hosting a day primary and boarding secondary students from the rural area. The school population using the urine diversion ecological toilets is 1169 people including 22 staff and 1147 students.

School Contact:
Headmaster Name: Ephrem Rwagasana
Tel: 0788414161
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


Please describe the sanitation case from your point of view.

The introduction of urine diversion ecological toilets in Burega School Complex has contributed to hygiene and disease prevention for teachers and students. The toilets are clean, ash is always added to the feaces to avoid bad smell, flies and disease transmission. After toilet use, students and teachers wash their hands with soap at the tap installed on each hand washing station or plastic water tank.

The school has separate toilets for boys and girls. Less than 40 students use a toilet cabin in accordance with the government standards and toilets are emptied from one cabin to another until the final process of human manure production is complete. Urine from the toilet is diverted into a tank through a plastic pipe. Once the urine tank is almost full, urine is stored in jerry cans and sold later.

Over many generations, Rwandan families have traditionally relied on cow dung and bio-degradable compost in their farming activities. With the introduction of Eco-San latrines and human compost generated, more farmers especially those leaving near Burega School Complex are getting more familiar and have discovered the usefulness of the human manure and urine from the ecological sanitation toilets.

The hygiene clubs at Burega school complex disseminate hygiene behavior at school and they ensure that water and soap are always available after using toilet or before taking school snacks. All the pupils and students return in their families after class and bring hygiene messages which contribute to the improvement of household sanitation.

Every month, a staff from Organisation Rwandaise pour la Solidarite et le Developpement (ORSD), a local NGO partnering Water For People—Rwanda, trains hygiene clubs in schools and community health workers. The staff visits regularly Burega School Complex and its sanitation facilities for advice.

Why and how is your sanitation project sustainable? What are the sustainable aspects of your case (maybe use the 5 SuSanA criteria as orientation)?

1. Health and hygiene: the basic strategies to reduce the risks of disease contamination for 1169 people at Burega School Complex include taking care of the sanitation facilities and using them effectively according to the hygiene behavior. The school gets clean water from a water supply system built by Water For People. Gutters taking rain water to the plastic tanks have also been installed. The sanitation facilities are cleaned by students and soap is availed by the school management. The area surrounding the sanitation facilities is always clean. School regulations punish open urination or defecation.
2. Environment and natural resources: the ecological toilets have cabins where ashes are poured on feaces to avoid bad smell and flies, after some time the recycling takes place from one cabin to another until the decomposition process takes place and the human manure is used in the farms. On the other hand, urine that has been collected is also mixed with water and used in the farms as a fertilizer.
3. Technology and operation: Burega School Complex has hired a support staff in charge of the daily cleaning and operation of the ecological sanitation toilets. He has the necessary skills for the recycling, storage and treatment of human manure.
4. Financial and economic issues: after the initial investment done by Water For People, the management of Burega School Complex and parents’ committee, the school gains income from the sale of human manure and urine considered now as a resource and have opened new opportunities for business. Burega School Complex in Rulindo district has 100,000 RwF in its bank account obtained from the sale of urine. The school sales a jerry can of urine at 1000 RwF (1.5 US$) to a permanent customer who carries the jerry cans of urine in his van. The money obtained from the sale of urine and human manure is used to cover the expenses related to the operation and maintenance of the sanitation facilities.
5. Socio-cultural and institutional aspects: Burega School Complex has shown to the community that human manure and urine is a resource for farmers. The sanitation facilities have taken into consideration gender aspects whereby the school has availed separate toilets for boys and girls. The school has given a special attention to the menstrual hygiene as part of the overall hygiene education. This consideration has contributed to school performance among girls. The school clubs has influenced significantly hygiene behavior in the school.
How did you in particular address the issue of washing hands after the toilet use?

The school has introduced hygiene education especially in lower classes and gives a special attention to younger children and girls. The hygiene clubs are very dynamic to disseminate hygiene behavior. The new hand washing infrastructure and water tanks installed in the school with the support of Water For People Rwanda help students to wash their hands with soap after using toilets and prior to taking the school snacks. In addition to the rainwater collected by the gutters and poured in the water tanks, Burega School Complex is supplied with clean water from the spring fed Kararama Water Scheme extended by Water For People in 2012. The hygiene clubs report to the school management on any hygiene condition in the school as well as infrastructure maintenance needs.

Who did give financial support?

Water For People have contributed financially whereas the management of Burega School Complex and parents’ committee provided local materials as in kind contribution for the installation of rainwater harvesting systems and construction of urine diversion ecological toilets with hand washing facilities, incinerator for disposal of sanitary pads, shower for ladies during menstruation period, and rainwater harvesting system.

Who is responsible for operation and maintenance?

The School management in collaboration with the hygiene club has set up teams of students who take turn in cleaning the sanitation facilities. Moreover, the school has hired a support staff responsible for day-to-day maintenance and operation of ecosan toilets, plastic tanks, shower room and hand washing facilities. The hygiene clubs ensure that quality sanitation services are provided: clean toilets and water always available in the plastic water tanks. Parents’ committee monitors the use of the above mentioned infrastructure to ensure that they are useful to the children as far as hygiene best practices are concerned. They also monitor the use of money obtained from the sale of urine stored in jerry cans and processed human manure. The school management is responsible for the major and minor repairs. Considering their financial and/or in kind contribution in the construction of sanitation and water facilities, schools and parents’ committees discuss operation and maintenance issues arising from the status of sanitation facilities at Burega School Complex.

Dear all,

My name is Steffi Roenitzsch and I am currently an intern of WECF and GIZ. I am involved in the compilation of the case studies and the thereby designed and published broshure.
I have been in contact with some of you before concerning the stories which were handed in already. I would now like to share some more stories with you which we received via email.

Please see the following posts if you are interested.

Best regards

Steffi ROenitzsch
M.A. International Development Studies Marburg
Currently intern at WECF/ GIZ


The following school project was reported by Vanden Bowen who is working for Whereever the Need.(delivered via Email)


Wherever the Need / India, Tamil Nadu – Vanden Bowen, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

General information:
Chandra Girl's School is a secondary school located in rural Tamil Nadu. Before we built sanitation facilities at the school, 1,300 girls had no option but to use the nearby wasteland as a toilet. It was a breeding ground for diseases such as diarrhoea and put the girls at risk of being attacked. As a result, many of the students were continually sick, missing out on weeks of school and were often kept at home by worried parents.

Our Work / Sanitation Case
At Wherever the Need, we believe that giving a child the opportunity to learn is about more than building schools and buying textbooks. When schools are unable to provide proper toilets for children, their education and future prospects suffer.
In March 2012, Wherever the Need completed a new eco-sanitation block for the girls at the school. During the short time that it has been in use, there has been a dramatic reduction in illness and a marked increase in school attendance. Between March and July there was a 7% increase in enrolment, and attendance at the school has improved by 15% since the toilets were completed.

Sustainability
These toilets are designed to last for decades, protect water sources and the local environment from pollution, help produce higher crop yields and generate income from the sale of the by-products. Above all the toilets help restore people's health and dignity, underpinning education, livelihoods and sustainable development.
Generous donors make these projects possible by providing funding for the capital costs. After the initial capital costs, the project becomes self-financing. The income generated by selling the compost from the eco-toilets is able to cover the associated maintenance and running costs each year.

Maintenance
A recognised challenge for any sanitation programme is maintenance; if facilities stop working, become unclean or require too much care taking, then experience has shown that people simply stop using them. Our Sustainable Sanitation Network is an innovative and entirely self-financing method of overcoming the aforementioned operational and maintenance challenges.
Each month, our staff visit the school to collect the output from the eco-toilet block. This provides us with regular opportunities to undertake maintenance or minor repairs, and for students and teachers to provide feedback.
The eco-toilet output from our projects is brought to a central location. It is stored until it has fully composted into a pathogen free and nutrient rich soil conditioner; we then sell this to local farmers, providing them with an affordable and effective soil fertiliser, whilst generating an income that covers all of the running costs of the school sanitation project.

Impact / Benefits
When we recently revisited the school, the change in these young girls was astonishing. They are very enthusiastic about their clean, private and safe toilet, and their teachers told us that parents are now encouraging their daughters to attend school, as they know they will be safe.
We also learned that students are sharing what they are learning about sanitation, health and hygiene with their own communities. Two girls, Prianga and Jayaputhradevi, attended Chandra School before and after the eco-toilets were constructed. With a first hand understanding of how a toilet can change lives, they campaigned for eco-toilets in Anaivari, their home village. Inspired by this story, two private donors have recently funded the construction of an eco-toilet block at Anaivari Primary School, and we have also received funding for family ecosan toilets.

We will be sending a final photographic report of this program to share more information!

Dear Claudia & Christian,
Find the experience and steps in piloting process of a National School WASH Guideline in Tanzania.
Kind regards,

Agnes

Tanzania
Risk now to avoid more risk later.

Dear SuSaNa WG 7

Warm greetings from Nairobi!

Please find below a short story/case study from the Philippines Red Cross on activities done as part of their school based sanitation and hygiene promotion program. The accompanying pictures are attached in the PDF documents (or please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the high resolution picture files).

Many thanks and we hope you enjoy reading it!

With best regards,

Chelsea

+++++++++++++++++++

*************

*Water and sanitation facilities created change in pupils' and teachers' lives*

*By Afrhill Rances in Manila*

"Whenever we need to use the restroom, we have to wait in a long line. Whenever we need to wash our hands, we often use the drinking water we have. Sometimes, I feel pain in my abdomen whenever I can't pee in the restroom quickly." These are just some of the sentiments of Stephanie Teves, an 11-year old girl who is in her fourth grade in Canitoan Elementary School, Cagayan de Oro City.

Stephanie is one of the 900 pupils who have been facing problems with hygiene and sanitation as the school has very limited facilities. There is only one toilet per classroom, which accommodates an average of 40 to 50 students. The situation worsened when Tropical Storm Washi struck the Philippines in December 2011 which greatly affected the city.

"This school was in a very bad state after Washi. About 60% of our classrooms, latrines and school equipment were all buried in mud due to flooding," narrates Jerry Taruc, the current principal of Canitoan Elementary School. The school's ground was used as an evacuation centre by 56 families who stayed in tents for at least six months. Classes resumed a month after Washi while the evacuees were waiting to be relocated.

Philippine Red Cross immediately responded to Tropical Storm Washi since the first day it came, providing relief and medical assistance among others. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) supported PRC in its further effort to providing food and non-food packages to 20,000 families. Support extended to health and sanitation where community health volunteers (CHVs) have been mobilized to conduct hygiene promotion sessions from the evacuation centres during the peak of the emergency, up to the communities, reaching more than 25,000 families.

Having completed health and hygiene promotion in communities, PRC initiated the school-based hygiene promotion project, reaching some 11,000 students and 500 staff in 10 schools in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities, where Stephanie took part.

"I was taught to wash my hands before and after eating. I also learned that I must flush the toilet after using it. Now, I am aware that I would be sick if I don?t wash my hands and if I don't use the toilet whenever I have to," Stephanie says.

As well, due to severe impact wrought by Washi, the school's water and sanitation facilities have been rehabilitated through IFRC support, where six pour-flush latrines have been built, including two handwashing facilities.

"With the facilities installed in our school, I noticed a huge improvement to the routine of our students, especially in hygiene and sanitation. Now, they are free to use the latrines whenever they need to, and wash their hands after using it and also before and after eating" explains Mr. Taruc.

The school principal also mentioned that there are lesser cases of diarrhoea since the facilities were completed in September 2012. The hygiene promotion sessions changed the students' practices and made them more conscious of cleanliness inside and outside the classroom.


Captions for photos to accompany this article:




WatSanPH001

?I was taught to wash my hands before and after eating. I also learned that I must flush the toilet after using it. Now, I am aware that I would be sick if I don?t wash my hands and if I don?t use the toilet whenever I have to,? Stephanie Teves, 11 year-old pupil from Canitoan Elementary School says. *Photo: Afrhill Rances/IFRC*





WatSanPH002

?With the facilities installed in our school, I noticed a huge improvement to the routine of our students, especially in hygiene and sanitation. Now, they are free to use the latrines whenever they need to, and wash their hands after using it and also before and after eating,? explains Mr. Jerry Taruc, principal of Canitoan Elementary School. *Photo: Afrhill Rances/IFRC*




WatSanPH003

Due to severe impact wrought by Washi, the school?s water and sanitation facilities have been rehabilitated through IFRC support, where six pour-flush latrines have been built, including two handwashing facilities. *Photo: Afrhill Rances/IFRC*




WatSanPH004

Malong Nelson Jr. holds the hygiene kit bag which he received during the hygiene promotion session in Canitoan Elementary School. *Photo: Afrhill Rances/IFRC *


*Chelsea Giles-Hansen*

*Water and Sanitation Delegate *
*International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies*
*East Africa Regional Representation*
Woodlands Road *|* PO Box 41275 - 00100 *| *Nairobi *|* Kenya
*Saving lives, changing minds.*
Find out more on* **www.ifrc.org*

Please see below for story about Peepoo in schools in Kibera.



• Basic information on school (size, location, type, contact etc.).

Peepoople Kenya is present in 63 informal schools and day cares in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Approximately half of our schools and daycares have 150 students or more students. In total, Peepoople Kenya reaches more than 12 000 children in different areas in Kibera (March 2013).

• Please describe the sanitation case from your point of view.

In informal settlements like Kibera, sanitation in schools is a huge challenge. In the case that there are latrines, they are often dirty or over-full, forcing children to openly defecate. Open defecation in schoolyards increases risk of disease spread and creates unhygienic environments, but if children are forced to venture off of the school premisis they risk being subjected to rape and violence. Many children, especially females, miss school days due to the lack of toilets. Access to water for hand washing is also a critical problem in most schools.

The Peepoo School programme offers training in hygiene, sanitation and agriculture to teachers who later share their lessons with students. Peepoople Kenya commits to supporting schools, on a needs basis, with a total sanitation system along with education.

Water and soap is provided for hand washing, together with hand washing units. If space is available soak-pits are built for urination and privacy. Peepoo toilets (along with Peepoo kiti potty) are provided for defecation in the privacy cabins. In some cases, a Peepoo attendant is hired to help smaller kids with using Peepoo and washing hands.

Some of the used Peepoos are used for agriculture (bag gardens) to grow kale or spinach, which helps contribute to food security at the school.

The Peepoople Kenya school team meets with parents to inform them about the Peepoo sanitation solution and creates awareness about hygiene. In conjunction with the programme, health clubs are sometimes formed at the schools. This is an important part of the programme as it aims to contribute to a Child to Community effect, based on the fact that children will create awareness in the community.

Special training materials featuring Peepoo Dubo (a Peepoo bear mascot) have been developed and schools are visited on a monthly basis by the mascot (in costume). Peepoo Dubo demonstrates how to use Peepoo and wash hands.


• Why and how is your sanitation project sustainable? What are the sustainable aspects of your case (maybe use the 5 SuSanA criteria as orientation)?

The Peepoo sanitation solution in schools is sustainable, not least because children prefer the Peepoo toilet to most latrines. Many children are afraid of using pit latrines since they smell, are often dirty and they feel they are at risk of falling inside.

Using Peepoo in schools requires the need for constant contribution of Peepoo toilets. The cost is very low (15 EUR per child per year for Peepoos, training, water, soakpits etc).

Peepoople Kenya’s School Programme allows donors to support children in schools with sanitation so that they can fulfil their education potential. Peepoople Kenya commits to continue to work hard to change policy, influence and find innovative sanitation solutions in the areas that we work in.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that schools in slums are informal, there are huge obstacles in securing support from the government for sanitation.

The Peepoo toilet is sustainable in itself, in that it is fully biodegradable and can be used as a valuable fertiliser in schools to help improve garden yields.


• How did you in particular address the issue of washing hands after the toilet use?

Peepoople builds hand-washing units to make it accessible and simple for students to wash hands. In many schools, water and soap is provided while others are able to find means for water themselves. Training in hygiene and hand washing is done regularly. Peepoo Dubo visits ensure that proper practices are upheld, and fun!


• Who did give financial support?

Peepoople Kenya has received funding from Simavi and from the Swedish Government. Rotary is also supporting some schools. Peepoople Kenya launched the Peepoo School Programme in fall 2012 and is currently applying for funding.

• Who is responsible for operation and maintenance?

The schools are responsible for operation and maintenance unless an attendant is hired (33 schools have attendants, March 2013).

• If you have, please give any quotes of pupils, teachers, or parents documenting the benefits of your case!

Children like the Peepoo sanitation solution since its easy to use, clean and not smelling. Some quotes from children: “My toilet in school is cleaner than the one I use at home”, “I love pooing in the Peepoo”, “Before Peepoo some would press or hold till they got home”.





Camilla

Dear Christian,

Below is the text copied from the attached document. All pictures and illustrations regarding the project are in the attached pdf. The images are compressed to make the document a manageable size, but please respond on the forum or to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for high resolution pictures.

Warmest regards,
Sarar Transformación
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


• Basic information on school (size, location, type, contact etc.).

The SWASH+ (School Water Sanitation and Hygiene PLUS community impact) program was conducted in the Upper Copalita watershed of the Sierra Sur, Oaxaca State, Mexico. From January 2009 to December 2012, Sarar Transformación facilitated improved access to safe water and sustainable sanitation to approximately 2000 students and teachers in 17 schools in 3 indigenous municipal rural mountainous towns (San Miguel Suchixtepec, San Pedro el Alto, San Marcial Ozolotepec), including preschool, elementary, secondary, technical high school, and boarding facilities.

• Please describe the sanitation case from your point of view.

Drawing from its extensive experience with the SARAR participatory education methodology -and the related PHAST approach-, the program involved the entire school community in the assessment process, choice of technical options, and trained students, teachers and parents in the use and maintenance of the facilities, as well as proper hygiene. Through such training, SararT has introduced and fostered the uptake of alternative dry sanitation facilities, a previously uncommon technology in schools of the region, which conserve water and keep waste out of waterways.

One of the underlying principles and focus of the program from the outset was to ensure that the school WASH systems are both culturally appropriate and environmentally friendly. The full participation of the school communities in each of the phases of the program has been critical to its success. The adaptation of the time-tested SARAR/PHAST Participatory Methodology to the SWASH+ program has been a major achievement.

Through the initial assessment, it was seen that there could be a much greater possibility of collective learning, community impact and replicability by adopting a geographic cluster strategy involving ALL of the schools within each of the 3 municipal communities. In other words, the program identified the schools as a strategic entry point and catalytic element within a broader holistic vision of the community as a resilient organic unit. By involving the full school community, as well as local authorities, the SararT SWASH+ program has helped to generate a critical mass of the local population who can adapt and use environmentally friendly, closed-loop sanitation facilities within their collective and household environment.

One of our primary objectives as an organization is not simply to improve the existing water and sanitation services, but also to demonstrate the viability of the closed-loop ecological sanitation approaches within domestic, community and school contexts.

• Why and how is your sanitation project sustainable? What are the sustainable aspects of your case (maybe use the 5 SuSanA criteria as orientation)?

It is becoming increasingly evident that conventional centralized top-down approaches are, in many cases, not only inadequate for achieving the MDGs, but, moreover, are inappropriate for addressing the critical challenges of whole populations and communities to use and maintain appropriate sanitary toilets. Indeed, among the strongest barriers to W&S sustainability is both the general lack of awareness and information about medium and long-term effects of present trends of conventional practices, as well as knowledge of alternative, affordable, environmentally friendly approaches.

Through its integrated sustainable sanitation strategy, this SWASH+ program has reached over 2,500 persons per year to share information, demonstrate alternative systems and promote behavioral change that has resulted in more robust, coherent, sustainable sanitation practices for the future of the towns of the Sierra Sur watershed in Oaxaca.

By installing decentralized, closed-loop sanitation systems, such as earth-composting (Arborloos and Fossa alternas) and UDDTs, SararT estimates that 600kg nitrogen, 75kg phosphorous & 140kg potassium/yr are recovered as valuable nutrients, a resource to soil ecosystems. Apart from application in school’ ornamental gardens, part of the treated urine are applied as a renewable liquid fertilizer in a tree nursery, destined for WWF reforestation projects. Since 87% of the excreted nitrogen is contained in urine, from a climate protection point of view, concentrating on the recovery and reuse of urine represents the most efficient means of emission reduction through nutrient recovery. [SuSanA] As strategies for adaptation to seasonal water scarcity:
• We introduced rainwater catchment;
• By adopting dry sanitation systems, we estimate that 2,800m3 of water/yr is conserved, an important implication in terms of unnecessary wastewater generated; and
• Through greywater management, we estimate 1,500m3 is reclaimed water for irrigation.

• How did you in particular address the issue of washing hands after the toilet use?

Firstly, existing access to handwashing stations with both soap and a constant supply of water was evaluated. In order to guarantee sufficient access to handwashing stations, new ones were installed with greywater treatment wherever lacking. In areas where it was impractical to pipe water near the toilets, tippy-taps were utilized. This provides a price-effective and easily maintainable station for handwashing located close to the bathrooms.

Secondly, with support from SararT local school promoters, numerous workshops were held regarding adequate handwashing behaviors. The workshops were mainly given to adults—both community members or school staff—who, in turn, provided guidance to the students. Part of the awareness raising work included Global Handwashing Day events. In itself, the events had their own set of workshops and activities coordinated by local staff which included: singing a handwashing and personal hygiene song, or acting out a play, and students individually washing their hands under the supervision of their teachers according to recommended guidelines.

Thirdly, SararT developed a series of illustrations and posters depicting operation, use and maintenance of ecological sanitation approaches. Also depicted was proper handwashing behavior, serving as a pictorial reminder to students and staff.

Parent´s committees, school directors and teachers were critical in reinforcing hygiene promotion and behavioral change within each school. Their direct involvement developed their capacities in water and sanitation issues and raised awareness on strategies for building more robust communities.

• Who did give financial support?

The sustainable SWASH+ program was coordinated by SararT with support from Global Water Challenge –with funding from Coca-Cola Atlanta), in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund Incorporated (within their Mexican watershed management program).

• Who is responsible for operation and maintenance?

In order to strengthen and institutionalize the roles and responsibilities of the various local stakeholders and assure greater permanence and sustainability of the systems, the Program formalized the handover process where the local authorities, school committees and administration agreed to: oversee the correct U&M of the installed water and dry sanitation systems; and transmit knowledge and information to the incoming students, parent´s committee members, new teachers and school authorities.

The operation and maintenance activities are highlighted below:
• Information dissemination and further training in regard to proper and safe UO&M of the school water and sanitation systems
• Introduction of user-friendly monitoring schemes, over 80 workshops on UO&M of UDDTs, composting toilets, greywater filters, water filter systems and composting
• Specific workshops on use of SWASH+ Kit, and training on monitoring data sheets.

• If you have, please give any quotes of pupils, teachers, or parents documenting the benefits of your case!

An interview was conducted with the licensed psychologist Ariana Solano Zaragoza who was at the time taking the place of the school director. The interview is below in Spanish:

¿Qué le pareció la actividad?

Pues me pareció muy educativa, ya que muchos de los jóvenes al igual que yo no conocía cual era la técnica adecuada del lavado de manos y se trabajo con ellos también en lo que fue que crearan un pequeño sociodrama en lo cual ellos también vieran de su realidad si se lavan las manos o no.

¿Usted creé que esta actividad sirva para la implementación de la práctica del lavado de manos?

Si porque muchos los desconocemos o no sabíamos la correcta técnica para hacerlo entonces si me parece que es muy útil estárselos fomentando también a los chavos cada vez que van al baño o antes de comer.

• We would need some good photos of your case – either now or later on.

19.03.2013, ? 19:29, ALGA Association <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

Dear Christian Rieck,

warmest greetings from Kyrgyzstan. We were glad to know about collecting good case studies of sustainable sanitation in schools and kindergartens from all over the world by SuSanA.

Please find attached case study from Kyrgyzstan, experience of school toilet construction and functioning in Ivanovka village of Chui oblast in Kyrgyzstan.

If you will have any further questions or comments, we will be happy to answer you.

Sincerely,
Olga Djanaeva

director
Rural Womwn's Association "Alga"
Kyrgyzstan

Dear All, We are still collecting the data from the Akuapem South District, Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of schools poor wash programs and will post them to you very soon. Thanks VINCENT MARK ABEDI VIMAS WASH ENTERPRISE

P.O.BOX 455 NSAWAM-EASTERN REGION GHANA