Better sanitation for a healthy environment

Runyinya is a typical rural village in southern Rwanda. Its primary school is full of life; more than 1,000 pupils from the village and beyond turn up daily. In the classrooms neat girls and boys in their dark blue or khaki uniforms and shoes work hard under the guidance of devoted teachers. Others are jumping and running in the school playground.

Facelift

The school was built in the late 1950s but recently got a facelift with paint and repairs to ease the weight and scars of age. There is no litter on the premises. The school’s clean environment has been boosted by the installation of ecological latrines.

In 2009, BTC supported the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure to introduce the latrines in some schools to promote appropriate sanitation facilities and to improve health and environment conditions. The use of these latrines represented a challenge in behavioural change for pupils and teachers alike. ‘Some of us were not used to such latrines. We had to be sensitised about the ecological latrine concept before we explained it to children,’ commented Félicitée Mukagahima, head teacher at Runyinya Primary School.

Ecological toilets, unlike the usual pit latrines, separate urine from faeces, each being channelled through to different compartments. To prevent decomposition, stench and flies, ashes are regularly sprinkled on faeces; which helps the latter to solidify. ‘Stench and flies used to invade the school especially as latrines were filling up. It was difficult to teach children about hygiene in such conditions,’ recalled the head teacher. Each set of latrine is fitted with a hand washing system for users after visiting the toilet.

Ecological latrines: more than sanitation

Mukagahima is upbeat about the benefits of waterless latrines. Not only have they improved hygiene and sanitation significantly, they also provide a novel opportunity to improve income for the school. Each latrine has two separate compartments; one for solid waste and one for urine. As compartments for solid waste fill up, faeces are disposed of in drying areas prepared for the purpose. Compartments for urine are fitted with containers that collect urine. Both faeces and urine are used as fertilizers in the school gardens. ‘Last season, we used urine in one plot of potatoes and we harvested twice as much compared to the plot where we had used the usual compost,’ confirmed Mukagahima.

Sensitization

The project carried out sensitization for teachers and other workers on the ways of using these new fertilizers safely. ‘Some people around the school have come to us to inquire about how to use these fertilizers. Waste is no longer regarded solely as filth, but rather as agriculture input to improve yields. Attitudes are changing,’ concluded the head teacher confidently.

Facts and figures

• The Water and Sanitation Programme (PEPAPS: 2007 - 2013) is co-funded by Belgium, the European Commission and Rwanda. Its total budget is € 23.5 million.

• The program is rehabilitating rundown water networks and putting up new ones in underserved areas for a total of over 500 km. About 300,000 inhabitants in rural areas in the Southern Province will have access to drinking water within 500 m off homesteads.

• More than 1,000 ecological latrines will be built in 80 schools for more than 70,000 pupils.

• The programme is partnering with other actors in a pilot project for ecological latrines for households in rural areas targeting 250 families amongst the most vulnerable groups (elderly, single parents, etc). Within the framework of this project, only urine will be collected to be used as fertilizers.

• The programme carries out information and education campaigns on the proper use of water and on hygiene through radio shows and drama in communities and schools.

• Rwanda
• Agriculture & rural development