Consistent with the ideals of the technology centers which focus on community participation and input, the primary tool for education and introduction of the composting toilets is the construction of demonstration sites. These sites showcase a variety of sanitation options that range in cost and complexity. The community is invited to participate in the construction and evaluation of the different toilet designs before large scale projects are undertaken so that the designs can be adapted to meet the community’s needs. At each site the communities participated in the construction (for more details read Andrew Carroll’s account of the summer activities).

SOIL is currently promoting 4 kinds of composting toilets: the Arborloo, the Kiddieloo,the Fossa Alterna and the Dry Toilet. The toilets range in cost from $5 for a Kiddieloo, $25 for an Arborloo, $150 for a Fossa Alterna and up to $800 for a large public dry toilet. Each demonstration site is opened to the public with an inaugural event where members of the community and outside organizations are invited to an educational seminar to introduce and engage in discussion about the toilets, evaluating the costs and benefits of each design.

With the support of a grant from Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and postdoctoral support from the Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects, 3 demonstration sites were constructed during the summer of 2006. As SOL’s first official project, it was launched in the commune of Milot where SOL was founded.  Two of the sites are located in schools (Ecole du Brossard and Ecole National du Bordes) that did not previously have bathrooms and the third is in a public place near the soccer field in the community of Lory.

 

Inaugural events at the demonstration sites built in September 2006, one public site in the community of Lory (L), one at the Ecole Nationale du Bordes in the community of Tibo (C), and one at Ecole du Brossard in the community of Bwosa (R).

We decided to work in schools to give the children a chance to participate in the project, empowering the students to understand and participate in solving community health and sanitation problems.  The demonstration sites provide a hands-on educational tool for classes focused on ecology, agriculture, hygiene, health and sanitation. Working in schools also serves as a way to reach the wider community. Students will naturally share their experiences with their families, thereby increasing dissemination of knowledge and techniques.