At Build It, we don’t shy away from talking about toilets!
The 2018 Demographic and Health Survey identified only 33% of the population in Zambia use a basic sanitation service. This breaks down to 41% in urban areas, and 28% in rural areas.
We should all care more about toilets. They play a huge role in improving health. They also drive improvements in gender equality, education, economics and the environment (World Toilet Day).
The new toilet block at our Centre for Excellence will support a growing number of young trainees coming through the centre.
Every toilet should be celebrated: Lucie Kasanga, Chair of our Zambia Board and Chilufya Kasutu, our Interim Country Director, open the new student toilet block at the Centre for Excellence
The block features two pitched timber structure roofs. The air gap and cross ventilation will help to reduce the heat flux keeping the building cooler under the Zambian sun.
The design features two independent blocks that are next to each other, but that face opposite directions. This separates the entrance for men and the entrance for women.
Handwashing facility and rainwater harvesting tanks are located centrally between the two blocks to help link them together.
We made over 7,000 Stabilised Soil Blocks for the structure. It is a durable and robust design, that should require low maintenance.
We are committed to supporting more women through our training programme at the Centre for Excellence. We have incorporated additional features, including washing facility, into the design to support female trainees to manage their menstruation with privacy, confidence and dignity.
Thank you for your support – together we continue #BuildingBrighterFutures in Zambia.
