Educational Capacity Building in Fiji

Dear Supporter,

The flush toilets at DSS require constant, costly maintenance and ongoing plumbing and water source issues make them unpleasant and often unusable for the students. A frequent lack of toilet paper means students often resort to using pages from their notebooks which in turn blocks up the fragile plumbing system. When water pressure runs low in the dry season, the problem is exacerbated and children face the unacceptable prospect of going to school without adequate sanitation facilities. The two new composting toilets eliminate all of these issues in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. They are also cost-effective and more pleasant for the students and staff to use.

The generous donation from the Stelly School Group allowed GVI to start work on the project. Students from Stelly School and GVI worked hard to lay the foundations of the structures before the Expedition team came in to finish the job. Both buildings have two toilets inside. Only one is used and once that is full (approx. 6 months) it is sealed and begins the composting process and the second toilet is then used.

In order for the compositing process to take place the staff and students must know how to correctly use them. GVI volunteers worked with students to identify the benefits of composting toilets and then provided training on how to use the toilets and ways to ensure proper upkeep. The volunteers combined activities such as poster making, quizzes and tours of the facilities to fully engage with the students ensuring that all students understood all sides of the concepts and methods involved with this new sanitation system.

Now that the construction and awareness lessons are complete, both students and teachers can start using an alternative sanitation system that is both environmentally friendly and sanitary.

Thank you for your continued support to Fiji.

All the best

GVI Fiji

Links:

• www.gvi.org