Post about shit and my work involving it

One of my large projects during my Peace Corps service has to do with sanitation. 

I wrote a grant to help me with the funding for the latrine building part of my project and thanks to friends, family, and many strangers in the US we raised over $4,000, nearly a million Ariary.

My community and I have been busy with discussing what the actual problem is within the area. We came to a conclusion that people were just shitting (open defecating is the proper term) in the coffee forest all day everyday. And this of course is a very large problem. 

The community members asked for latrines. A place to defecate, in peace and quiet, where it is clean and safe for everyone. 

After discussing the problem, and them asking for a solution of course I asked them why they didn't build the latrines themselves? If they knew the problem and knew the solution then why the heck aren't they doing anything about it? 

I received many answers! Many strange answers, some reasonable answers, and then many of the same answer that brought me to write my grant. 

They told me and I also witnessed myself, that the river next to their villages simply wiped out any latrines they've ever built when flood season comes around. So, those latrines didn't really keep the shit contained as much as they had hoped. And in my opinion, latrines, toilets, outhouses, WCs, whatever you wanna call it, that's their job, to keep the shit in one place! 

The Malagasy's effort was for nothing with these old ways and these old latrines built from Ravinala leaves and branches. 

We thought the best thing for the community and the overall health of everyone and everything would be to build new, strong, and elevated latrines! Not only that but to have technicians come in and train the men how to build proper, durable latrines to last through even the toughest of floods and cyclones. 

Through many months of searching, researching, writing, planning, raising money, bargaining, buying, arguing, discussing, delivering, we are finally onto the training with the ever so wonderful technicians from WHH (Welt Hunger Hilfe)! 

Here's to a cleaner and healthier environment, one where you don't have to look down and watch your step! :) 

Wish us luck in this next stage of our project!