Latrine Construction in Ndorong-Sereer

We in Ndorong want to say JOKANJYAL MAYU (thank you so, so much) to all the friends and family in the States who helped make this latrine project possible. The community has completed 36 latrines thus far and more are currently under construction. Ndorong plans to be finished with all 63 latrines before the end of August. Again, for those of you who donated, we cannot thank you enough for your generous support. You have helped enable a positive, lasting impact for our community’s health for many years to come. Below are pictures of our progress. Thank you.

Each family has dug a 2.5m x 2.5m pit for the latrine in the back of their compounds. The width and depth is more than sufficient to contain waste and prevent overflow.

We kept the 504 sacks of cement locked in an unused room near the main thoroughfare. Each family will use eight sacks of cement for their latrine.

Ibu and Samba load sacks of cement onto a donkey cart to bring to our compound. These sacks are 50 kilos (110 lbs) each!

Gravel used to mix in with the cement to create a durable cover and base for the latrine. This pile is completely gone and we are now using gravel leftover from the new school construction. New latrines, new school, what’s next…running water?

Pipes used for moving the waste from the ‘seat’ to the pit. The 6m pipes are cut into three 2m pieces, each family receiving one piece.

Each family received eight sacks of cement. Four of those sacks were used to make the bricks and the remaining four were used to cement the bricks together and make the top seal. Bricks are left to dry for two or three days before construction.

Local mason Alieu Diouf laying the foundation for a latrine.

Working hard or hardly working? Masons Alaiji Sow and Alieu Diouf taking a break from the toil.

A few families wanted to build two separate rooms over the pits, one a bathroom and the other for showering.

A single pit latrine used for both showering and relieving oneself.

Alaiji and Samba mixing cement with gravel to pour over the cover to make the seal. The metal wire was fastened together to form a grid over the sheet metal, serving as a solid base for the seal.

Pouring the cement over the sheet metal.

The seal is complete and being left to dry. A room with a seat will be built next door with the pipe running from the seat into the pit.

The finished product, a completed latrine and room. In the background are the separate rooms for showering and relieving oneself. The pipe runs underground into the pit.

Another sealed latrine.

Kids filling up the ‘tippy-tap’ hand washing station. The person washing their hands will step on the stick at the bottom to pull down the plastic bedong releasing water.

The ‘tippy-tap’ in action. Hands free of germs!

Ramadan and Korite

Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, was observed in Senegal on June 18 and recently ended on July 17. During Ramadan, we break fast before dawn with bread, dates and tea then abstain from eating or drinking anything until sunset. This is a very difficult month for everyone, but especially for manual laborers who must work outside during what is arguably the hottest month of the year. Farmers must plow and plant their fields, masons are scrambling to finish houses before the heavy rains, taxi drivers have long journeys ahead of them, and not an air conditioned office in sight. The fasting lasts for a month, beginning and ending with the slivered crescent of new moon. On July 17th, the entire village gazed west into the rose-blush dusk, searching for the first sight of the slight pale finger-nail of a moon. The following day was Korite, a day of pure, unadulterated feasting. Groups of young men dressed in their finest bou-bous, led the tour de Ndorong, visiting each family asking forgiveness and sampling their cuisine, typically macaroni or cous-cous served with onion sauce and goat meat. This Korite, our family cooked roast duck with vermicelli, onions and potatoes. After stuffing ourselves silly and reveling in the fact that we can drink water again, the village silently agreed to a mass siesta. Below are a few pictures of the celebration.

Farmer use horses, donkeys, and cattle to plow their fields after the rain. Farmers plant millet before the rain and peanuts and corn after the first heavy rain. Thus far, the rains have been promising.

Ya Fatou and Mamjaara in their newly built kitchen singing the duck to remove hard to pluck feathers.

Kids wearing their Korite’s best stop by asking for candy and small change. The angry pose must be really in this year, I promise, all of these kids got candy.

My adorable nieces, Hadioum and Ndeye Awa, and nephew Tijane in matching floral print.

Nuffie Satu and Baby Fatou out for the count. Korite revelry is a marathon, not a race.

Myself and host mother Ya Fatou.

Myself and host sister Mamjaara.

My counterpart and his wife wanted to honor my family by naming their newborn baby, Elaine, after my mom. She’s wearing the outfit my mom sent from the states. Look at those cheeks! Too adorable!