Toilets

When building our dormitories, we also provided a sanitary room. These toilets and showers may only be used by the children staying at the boarding school. This is mainly to avoid wear and tear, but also because the sanitary block is not sufficient for all children who are currently attending school.

A toilet block was initially provided for the day students. This wooden construction had a floor with holes under which was a large well. A kind of primitive squat toilets. The block was divided into three separate sections, one for boys, one for girls and one for teachers. The wooden floor had to be replaced regularly because the beams started to rot again and again. This was also not immediately hygienic. Especially the smaller children sometimes dare to miss the holes when they do their business. Not to mention the smell coming from these toilets. It was time for a stylish, hygienic, easy-to-clean toilet!

We took a first step in this at the beginning of 2017 by providing urinals for our boys on two sides of the school grounds. These have been fully tiled so that they can be easily washed off.v The wooden toilets already have to be used a lot less.

The construction of the new sanitary building started at the end of 2018. This certainly did not go smoothly. The wall of the septic tank unfortunately collapsed due to subsidence. So we had to put it again and then fill the soil with red sand. Then wait a long time so that the sand settles properly and refill it again. This time-consuming process caused considerable delays. We were able to resume construction work in March 2019. But even then things did not go as we wanted, mainly because the rainy season was approaching by the time our structural work was finished. It was waiting again. And then, unfortunately, we were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The strict government measures made it impossible for contractors to continue working. This pandemic also had a major impact on the prices of building materials and workers. The original cost estimate soon became unfeasible, and new money was needed. Fortunately, we could count on a number of donors for this. At the end of 2021 it was finally time! Our construction was done! The French toilets were connected to the water, the walls were tiled on the inside and painted on the outside!