I Need Your Help!

Dear Family and Friends,

On September 25 I celebrated one year of Peace Corps service in Zè, Benin. I have a year's worth of memories, photos, and friendships, comparatively little to speak of in the way of volunteer work. I have seen countless project ideas born and die in this time, because when need is everywhere, and helping hands are not, one must use what resources and know-how are available to address the most basic and pressing, among them. I come to you with a request for help with a project that addresses just that.

Like safe drinking water and paved roads, having a private place to relieve one’s self that does not endanger the health of others is something we take for granted in the developing world. I say this not to guilt you, but as reality, fact. I have seen firsthand people defecating in the fields that grow their neighbor’s livelihood, in the market where daily dinner is bought, near the waters in which they bathe, on the side of the road, where children play, in plain view of many; I have seen women forced to clear their courtyards and markets of fecal matter with just their hands and leaves; and I have seen the toll diarrheal and intestinal sicknesses can have on a child or adult.

Nearly a billion people worldwide lack some form of bathroom. I realize that these 25 latrines make barely a dent in that number, but those latrines will create a safe, private place for 200 people to use. That’s removing 200 people’s worth of fecal matter from public spaces, streams, and fields. The impact this has on the health of individuals within this community can indeed be great.

These latrines are low-cost, durable, and lasting. A pit latrine at a depth of 10 meters can suffice for a household for more than a decade. Each household will provide an estimated 35% of the latrine cost in the form of hauling water, gathering sand, and constructing a mud brick house to enclose the latrine. Each household will also receive education on proper hygiene including hand washing, food preparation and storage, and waste management.

To donate to this project please visit https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=680-196

I’d like to say “many thanks” for any and all donations from the people of Zè, Benin. Oddly, in local language that translates to “awanu kaka” (say that one aloud for the full effect). If you feel so inclined, please forward this email to family, friends, and co-workers.

Love from Benin,

Kim Sanders