Constructing new toilets

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This morning the WaterAid supporters group head out to another village in the same area as yesterday, where WaterAid has recently started work, and we have come to help out with the construction of new latrines. I get stuck in at the Nayak family, where Bhagirathi, aged 34, lives with his wife Basanti and two young boys aged 10 and 7. I help collect water from the handpump and use it to mix cement. Two round pits have been dug, about 3 ft deep and the same diameter, each of which will last 5 to 10 years. The toilet building will be offset with a connecting pipe to the pits. After mixing the cement, the first step is to lay out the base row of bricks and start brick-laying, which is hard work in this heat!
Bhagirathi and his family have decided to build a 'Western-style' sitting toilet (very unusual in rural India) because his oldest son Alekha is disabled from polio and finds it hard to squat in the usual way. This makes the building more complicated, but luckily, Maheswar, the master mason, has been specifically trained by WaterAid to construct many different types of toilet buildings.
The Nayak family are officially below the poverty line (BPL) so the govenment has partially funded their latrine. In India, as well as directly funding projects, WaterAid also works to leverage Government funds towards water and sanitation. Hygeine education and community ownership are also vital if these projects are to make a real difference.
During the morning we make good progress, and the toilet is coming along well. It's great to be involved, knowing the difference this will make to these families' lives. The village later hold a ceremony to declare that they will become Open Defecation Free, and thank us all for our contribution with singing and cheering.

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Photos

Sarah with a half-built toilet
The boy in the yellow shirt is Alekha, aged 10, who suffers from polio.

Bhagirathi helping build his latrine
Bhagirathi is on the right.

Alekha and Gulekh
Brothers aged 10 and 7, who will benefit from this new latrine.

Maheswar, the mason at work
Maheswar has been trained by WaterAid to build latrines.