Project Update

Michael O'Flaherty

WGA Civil Engineer | King Barista | Hyena Whisperer

Another week in Moshi just wouldn't be complete without at least two broken-down vehicles, a couple of nights with no power or water and, of course, a bat-encounter...

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Project: 
Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
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Location: 
​Kaloleni Primary School

Trips to Hardware Store >10

Squatting Demonstrating + 10 HP

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Learn more about the sato toilet pan

Description: Diarrhoea is one of the most commonly reported illnesses in Tanzania according to a 2013 report on Santiation and Hygeine in Tanzania with young children particularly at risk. Inadequate access to clean water, poor hygeine, and infestations of insects (particularly flies) are the risk factors for a large number of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid fever, malaria, helminths, schistomaniasis and other parasitic diseases.

The existing toilets at Kaloleni primary school were pit-latrine toilets, which is a fairly typical construction method in developing countries. As there is no nearby sewerage network, the toilets consist of a deep hole in the ground, which is sometimes sealed with concrete but usually left unlined. A simple concrete floor with a hole is then the 'toilet'. There are usually a number of vent pipes for each toilet block to help with flies and odour management although these were damaged at Kaloleni and we quickly discovered that the holes were the key source of odour and flies!

At Kaloleni primary, each student would have their own personal 'pitcher' usually around half a litre or so, which they would need to fill up at the drinking taps (around 150m away from the toilets), and carry it into the toilet to clean themselves afterwards. It has been found from that same report that distance to a water point is key to improving good sanitation. It was clear that some students weren't even using their pitcher and would just use their hands and only maybe wash afterwards. 

After doing a bit of research online, we decided that we would fit each of the toilet cubicles with a tap connected to running water, fix the vent pipes, and install a SaTo toilet pan in each cubicle. The SaTo pan uses a simple trap door design that forms a water seal at the bottom of a pan set into a cement slab over the pit. The water seal reduces transmission of disease by insects, reduces odour and only requires a small volume of water for each flush compared with conventional toilets. More than 1 million units are already in use around the world, benefiting about 5 million people and is supported by the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation. 

We enlisted a local plumbing Fundi (tradesperson) to help us with bringing our design to life. Some of the challenges we encountered were getting the right materials for the toilets (after a bit of hunting around we finally found the SaTo pans although there was a bit of a lag-time on ordering the rest of them. Another challenge we found was getting adequate water pressure into the toilets. Originally, the school told us that everything was fed by an elevated tank about 5m above the ground. After a bit of investigating, however, we discovered that the tank was not in use at all and that all of their water came from a sneaky connection from the nearby brewery. In order to balance the pressure in the network, we installed a small adjustable gate valve at the downstream end where we had teed-off from the existing network as well as check valves before each toilet block to stop the water draining out of the line.

It seemed that the Fundi's progress claims depended on when and how much he felt like a drink. One day after a day's work, he asked for 20,000TSH (around $12) and we gave him the money with the joking proviso of "no drinking". He laughed, gladly took the money and gave us a wry smile. Needless to say, he mysteriously was out of action the following day. 

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Project: 
Painting Interior and Exterior Walls

Location: 
​Tatu Rafiki

​Sweat Factor: 8/10

Gawk Factor: 10/10

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Description: Tatu Rafiki (translates as Three Friends in Swahili) is a deaf-sewing group that was helped set up by Team Vista. They are an incredibly talented group who make some amazing things including backpacks, bags, laptop cases, door mats and virtually anything you like. They are now completely self-sufficient and many of their items are on display and for sale at the Team Vista stall at WOMADelaide. The painting involved stripping off the existing paint that was peeling at the front of the shop and giving it a few fresh coats of paint as well as arranging a stencil, logo and some artwork identifying the store from the street. We also repainted a room next to the shop that they can use for extra store space.

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Project: 
Fixing Fence

Location: 
​Team Vista HQ

Sweat Factor: 7/10

Fence Fixing + 2 HP

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Description: After our Fundi-esque effort at the farm, Joel and I were now the go-to-Mzungus for broken fences. The Team Vista house is a safe, quiet place for sponsored children to go to study, get a good meal and a good night's rest. There is a small garden outside which grows a variety of vegetables that are used for cooking and also to teach the kids about gardening. The fence was in need of repair with many of the wooden posts rotted out and collapsed with the garden providing more food for the local goats than anyone else. As with most projects here, a large proportion of time is spent driving around to various hardware stores with their limited materials and trying to work out the most cost-effective way to solve the problem. Eventually, we decided on some RHSs (bonus points here for a civil engineer using structural lingo), getting them cut, weaving them through the wire mesh and hammering them into the ground until our tender office-hands were raw with black and blisters. 

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