Monday, August 23, 2010

Catch Up Session

It has been a busy week, hence why the updates have been non-existent. Everything is progressing remarkably well and despite a few set-backs, we will finish all that we set out to do this trip!

The first latrine should be complete any day now. Once the pit cover has been poured and we receive the source-separated seat by mail (at least I think that is how it is arriving) we can have our grand opening! The substructure for the second latrine is complete and so we will just cover up what we have completed and shall finish the project on our next visit.

In addition to latrine building, we have been doing water testing as Claire mentioned in the last post. Since the last post however, we also tested the coliform levels in the KVIP. Yes, the KVIP... meaning that we had to GATHER the poo before we tested it! Needless to say, we wore gloves and stayed as far away from the pit and the poo as we could manage but never again will I test poop (nor will Nnenna or Claire I am sure!). Maggoty poo is never a pleasant experience. However, it was important to test the feces from the KVIP to compare to the decomposed feces that we will eventually collect from our new latrine.

This weekend we took a quick trip to Accra for a night on the town. It was Clay's birthday and so we decided to celebrate in style with a hotel room (flush toilets and REAL SHOWERS!!!), a fancy dinner and brunch, and a night of dancing at a popular Accra "nite club." While the entire experience was fantastic, the beds were probably one of the best parts of the weekend! After sleeping on the floor for three weeks, a real bed is the ultimate luxury!

No comments:

Post a Comment