Welcome to our meeting room!

Dear partners,

ELA team are happy to launch this new site as our meeting room to talk about, share experiences and comment on the projects your implement. Here you will also receive the latest information on the ongoing of the ELA program as well as ask questions on the program administration procedures.

We do hope you will both enjoy and benefit from our "meetings" online! We look forward to your comments on making this space fitting best your interests and needs.

Warm regards,

ELA Team

Newsletter # 3

ELA News 3 – June 22, 2009

This is an electronic newsletter of the Empowerment and Local Action (ELA) team, Women in Europe for a Common Future. Please, contact Tetyana Penteado for questions, news to be included and all other information.

Contents of this issue:
1. ELA Meeting Room Blog
2. NEW WECF President
3. Trainings in Caucasus / CA
4. Change in the Composition of the ELA Team

1. ELA Meeting Room Blog
Дорогие партнеры,

ELA Meeting Room - это новый сайт в Интернете: www.elameetingroom.blogspot.com , где помещается информация об ЭЛА.

Этот сайт называется «место встречи», потому что мы хотим, чтобы все участники ЭЛА смогли там встречаться и рассказывать друг другу о своих проектах, а так же получать информацию о программе. Например, вы сможете прочитать о том, что партнеры-участники ЭЛА рассказывают о своих проектах и оставить свои комментарии и вопросы к ним. Так же там находится архив наших «Newsletter».

Для бурных же дискуссий о технологиях и по тематическим вопросам просим вас исползовать рассылку ИНТЕРА, преемник рассылки ИНСАН. Ссылку на форум ИНТЕРА вы найдете на нашем новом сайте.

Для того, чтобы стать постоянным членом ELA Meeting Room, вам нужно:
1. Oткрыть google account.
2. Зайти на www.elameetingroom.blogspot.com
3. Нажать на клавишу «войти» или «sign in» в правом верхнем углу. Вы автоматически перейдете на страничку https://www.blogger.com/start
4. Войдите, используя google account; там можно так же выбрать язык пользования сайтом.
5. Вернитесь обратно на www.elameetingroom.blogspot.com
6. Добро пожаловать на наше «место встречи»!:)
Пожалуйста, не стесняйтесь обращаться ко мне, если будет что-то не получаться с регистрацией на сайте. Я непременно помогу!

Ждем ваших комментарий и впечатлений о нашем новом «месте общения»!

2. New WECF President

Also, WECF has a new president, Christine von Weizsäcker, replacing the founding president Marie Kranendonk. Marie was bid a formal farewell at the conference marking WECF's 15th anniversary in The Hague. Link: http://www.wecf.eu/english/articles/2009/05/wecf-anniversary.php

The new president of WECF, Christine von Weizsäcker, is a biologist, researcher and activist. She has been working on technology assessment for civil society since the mid-seventies and participated in the negotiations of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety since 1994. Her many publications have contributed to the scientific and public debate. Amongst the organisations she was serving are the following: Ecoropa (European Network of Networkers on Environement, Democracy and North-South Justice), president; Diverse Women for Diversity, co-founder; CBD-Alliance (international alliance of NGOs attending the negotiations of the UN-Convention on Biological Diversity and its Cartagena Protocol), board; Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development of the Protestant Churches in Germany, member; Advisory Committee of the Federation of German Scientists, member; also member of its Working Group on agriculture and biodiversity. She has contributed to the Work of the German Consumer Testing Group for 20 years in different functions promoting the inclusion of environmental criteria; and was member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Consumer and Food Policy of the German Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection co-authoring its Guidelines for Sustainable Consumption

3. Trainings in Caucasus/CA

Three trainings on advanced sustainable sanitation were held in Georgia, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan in the frame of the ELA program. The trainings included the following topics:

• Improvement of cost efficiency and quality of urine diverting toilet systems
• Construction of the EMAS pump and reservoir
• Construction of a simplified greywater filter.

During the implementation year of 2008, 2545 people in households and 6414 in schools have been provided with safe sanitation by WECF and the partners in the frame of the ELA program. This is just a drop of the ocean given the 43 million people in the EECCA region that do not have access to safe sanitation. Therefore, the main question during the training was, “How can we build a safe UD toilet which can easily be replicated?”. In a brainstorm, the participants identified that the toilet should be cheap, maintenance friendly and without any produce smell.

48 Ecosan practitioners from Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia participating in the ELA program came together and used participative tools to facilitate knowledge exchange among them and the expert from the Technical University of Hamburg. The technical details were discussed using the pictures and schemes of different construction options. The recommendations for cost effective and qualitative urine diverting toilet systems were formulated on each component of toilet construction in different conditions.

It turned out that construction costs and construction approaches considerably differed among the organizations in EECCA countries and knowledge exchange was acknowledged to be very useful.

Besides the knowledge exchange, the participants also learned new technologies. WECF staff has been trained by the EMAS international (www.emas-international.de) on making reservoirs and hand pumps from locally available materials. The reservoir can be used to store a bigger amount of urine, which can be pumped by the hand pump to fields by tubes over a distance of up to 1 km. This improves the maintenance friendliness of toilets because the frequency of handling urine is reduced and the urine can be applied in the growing season.

A simplified grey water filter was built by the participants to treat hand washing water.

4. Change in the Composition of the ELA Team

With regret we announce that the ELA team will in future lack the co-coordinator Toos van Oers. Toos has left WECF. We would like to thank her for the many good contributions she has made, both to building up the team and giving it structures and procedures, as well as to the content of trainings WECF could provide on sustainable agriculture. Unfortunately, her position will not be replaced.

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WISDOM

Household Sanitary Facilities in Bolduresti Commune, Moldova

A hygienic toilet is essential for maintaining a family's health. Besides improving health conditions, a UDDT is very important to protect precious drinking water resources. In October 2008 in Bolduresti and Bacseni, 37 households finished the construction of new UDD toilets, constructed in the framework of Empowerment of Local Action Program in cooperation with WECF and SDC.

Bolduresti commune, as most other villages in Moldova, has no centralized sewerage system. Although, one part of Bolduresti village was connected to the aqueduct, the wells however remain the main source of drinking water. Unfortunately, many wells are polluted with nitrates, a phenomenon caused by incorrect management of human excreta and inadequate storage of livestock manure. Pit latrines are the main sanitary facilities. Many young families, who work abroad, plan to build flash toilets, without considering the health and environmental impact of discharging the wastewater. This happens because the Moldovan legislation does not impose strict liability on the method of construction, maintenance of pit latrines or wastewater management in rural areas.

A UDDT is an optimal solution to improve health conditions and prevent the drinking water pollution, and it offers a cheap fertilizer for agriculture. The baseline study indicated that 45 % of the local population relies on fertilizers, the cost of which varies between 35 and 150 euro per year. Most of the household have enough land area for fertilization and the land is located in the immediate vicinity of the house, thus the use of urine and faeces might be a good prospective.

Special emphasis in the project was placed on the active involvement of the community (creation of the EcoSan Committee which is involved in procurement, distribution of materials and monitorization of construction work). The selection of the beneficiaries was based on their motivation and desire to share their experience. Among the selected beneficiaries of UDDT were female-headed families with difficult living conditions, with their husbands working abroad; and there was also one case with a handicapped child. The households contributed UDDTs using 50% of the toilet costs and they agreed to apply urine and sanitized faeces on their own garden.

Initially, there was some fear of involvement in the project because people were not sure that they could properly maintain such a system. The opening of a UDDT by SDC in Bacseni gymnasium, as well as the local authorities of Bolduresti commune's active involvement in promoting the EcoSan principles, was a turning point in decisin-making. Due to great interest expressed by the mayor, as well as the desire of local authorities to contribute financially, an UDDT was built in the Village Hall. Previously, the local staff was using the public toilet of the Culture Club House, which was in a deplorable state. Thus, during the second meeting with the interested household, the list of those who signed up for the construction of household UDD toilets was much longer than during the first meeting - over 100 people.

However, since this was a pilot activity, only the most motivated people were selected from the list. The mayor of the commune, Mr. Vasile Miron, has built the first UDD toilet at his home and participated in all activities of the project.
The whole process of construction of toilets lasted along August-October 2008. The Ecosan Committee together with members of the Wisdom Association made procurement and distributed the construction materials as well as monitored the construction.

During monitoring (end of October 2008), most of the UDDT were ready for usage. Some households, which didn't manage to finish works until the end of September, had to postpone construction work because of the harvesting season till spring. The selected households invested in the toilet construction more than the project had foreseen, for example, on the ceramic plates mounting, lighting, sidewalks or urine container with higher volume (300 l). The implementation of demonstrational UDDTs showed that the potential for promoting ecological sanitation at the household level in Moldova is high since local people are very enthusiastic about the system, have a positive attitude to the use of human excreta in agriculture, and are ready to give a try to use the fertilized produce in their diets.

SEMA

More Support to Rural Communities

The overall objective of the project was to contribute to the sustainable implementation of the Millennium Development Goals through building skills of poor communities and increase of incomes by introducing sustainable agriculture, eco-sanitation and alternative energy sources.

Aiming at implementing this objective, through the cooperation between WECF and SEMA within the ELA program, the project, Support of Rural Communities in Georgian Regions in Increase of Incomes through Building Skills and Capacities in Conducting Organic Agriculture and Environmentally Safe Off-Farm Activities, was implemented in 2008.

Under the aegis of the project, there were three groups of farmers in three villages of two administrative regions of Georgia created to implement the project.
The population of Georgian regions is scarcely informed about the sustainable agriculture, eco-sanitation and alternative energy sources. Aiming at filling such information vacuum, the SEMA Association organized a training cycle for the mentioned communities concerning the basic principles of sustainable agriculture, essence and ways of applying eco-sanitation measures and options of using alternative energy sources in villages. The mentioned urgent issues rose great interest among the population.

Aiming at introducing the methods of sustainable agriculture into practice, there were three demonstration fields arranged within the project, and the farmers grew high-yielding crops with the use of ecological methods of production. Different measures to improve soil fertility were used in the farms and methods of correct management of organic waste were also applied. It should be noted that the farmers had their incomes increased by 10%.

Aiming at improving the sanitary-hygienic conditions of the village population, there were 13 U.D. toilets designed and installed. This measure first of all serves the purpose of improving the ground water quality, promoting efficient waste management and generally improving the present severe sanitary-hygienic conditions in the villages.

The benefit and frugality of the alternative energy sources is a worldly known fact. At the stage of introduction of the alternative energy sources to the villages, a 6 m3-capacity demonstrative gas digester was installed at one of the large rural households. The digester produces 0,4-0,5 m3 gas a day in winter and 1,5-1,7 m3 gas a day in warmer periods of the year saving on the firewood, which is the valuable natural resource and producing an organic fertilizer rich in different substances. In addition, there was a sanitary day organized at one of the communities. The school pupils and teachers took an active part in the action, which gave a stimulus to the whole society, who planned another action of planting trees on the village slopes in spring.

Thanks to the project implemented by WECF and SEMA within the ELA program in 2008, we have made a modest contribution to the well-being of a small part of the rural population, who lacks awareness and modern economic high-yielding technologies.

MAMA-86

We are the Doers, not the Talkers!

The Projects, Safe Sanitation, Health and Dignity and Empowerment and Local Action, are three year socio-ecological activities for poor peri-urban, urban and rural communities of Ukraine. It is implemented by All-Ukrainian National Environmental NGO network “MAMA-86” in cooperation with long-term partner Women of Europe for a Common Future (WECF) and funded by the French private fund, Foundation Ensemble, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kyiv Central Office and 8 regional branches from various regions of Ukraine (Artemivsk, Feodosiya, Mykolaiv, Nizhyn, Nova-Kahovka, Poltava, Sevastopol and Yaremche) are involved into the projects’ implementation.

During 2008 the work was focused on improving access to safe sanitation and water, promotion of hygiene and healthy environment for the villagers, dacha cooperatives and microdistricts of the cities where there is a lack of or unsafe sanitation as well as the lack of solid waste management. The main project activities are:
- To support the building of urine diverting toilets for 2 schools in Nova-Kahovka and Nizhyn region
- To improve sanitation facilities for more then 30 households in different parts of Ukraine by multiplication of urine diverting toilets
- To test the local drinking water sources (wells, springs, canals) on nitrates pollution and to gather information on solid waste dumping places in project areas
- To conduct education and training of local dwellers, with focus on children and women on safe sanitation, hygiene and healthy environment, to empower local communities to act on health and environment protection at the household – community levels
- To raise public awareness on water related health risks and strenthen the capacity.

As a result of the year work, 949 users have improved their sanitation facilities, 35 HH UDT were built in 9 project areas of Ukraine. To make such an intervention, MAMA-86 has paid much attention to the capacity strengthening. 31 local ecosan trainings for trainers and local dwellers from 19 settlements took place. People have learnt about ecosanitation principles, received trainings on specifics of UDT building and use, composting, principles of testing drinking water, “risk” concentrations and how to avoid them.

Each of the MAMA-86 regional partners has developed the ecosan trainers capacity by upgrading the previous experience on household dry toilets building and adapting it to the local and market conditions. Each of regions had an opportunity to make the ecosan equipment, and there are some new ideas which were developed and implemented by regional partners in practice. Among already built household urine diverting toilets, there are two that are used by public. One such a toilet was built for the usage of Greek Catholic Church parish and the second was built for the farmers by the regional branch in Artemivsk rayon.

In 8 project regions (Artemivsk, Feodosiya, Mykolaiv, Nizhyn, Nova-Kahovka, Poltava, Sevastopol and Yaremche) children and teachers were involved into the drinking water sources monitoring the nitrates content. 339 samples from wells as well as 29 springs and 10 other sources of drinking water were tested. Only 25% of samples of water from wells complied with the standard, the nitrates level of 50-100mg/l was observed in 48 % of the tested wells, and in 27% of samples from wells the level was higher than 250 mg/l. As preliminary research regional branches Sevastopol, Nova-Kahovka, Feodosiya and Yaremche have started gathering information on solid waste dumping places.

The information centre has started its educational activities on sustainable agriculture in Poltava region. More than 350 dwellers from 2 villages took part in 6 seminar-trainings on water, sanitation and organic agricultural issues. In the frame of making the information centre library, the relevant literature about organic agriculture, food safety, hygiene and sanitation was collected and partly translated. The local MAMA-86-Nizhyn have worked on organic agriculture promotion. 4 seminars and trainings took place in Pochechyn eco-village and Nizhyn Agrotechnical Institute. 89 participants received training and gained knowledge on different aspects of food safety, composting and organic agriculture.

More than 2400 participants took part in MAMA-86’s seminars and trainings on incensement of knowledge on hygiene and water related health risks, safe sanitation, among them there were more than 1400 women and girls. 44 information materials were published or prepared by 9 regions partners. The educational campaigns on hygiene and sanitation in 2 schools in Poltava region, “Handwashing” action in Feodosiya and Action on hygiene and sanitation in Kiev Water Museum with handing over a piece of soap to children-visitors are among many such actions that took place in all project regions.

In 2009 the main priority is school toilets building. During 2008 the main focus and attention was on legalization of the projects design but this work is not finished yet and it will be continued at the local level. The perspective of Ecosan technologies application in Ukraine needs the legalization and cooperation with scientists and hygienists and the state authorities at the national level. All good experience gained in 2008, people new and involved already into the ecosan projects and philosophy, new and started last year activities will certainly go on next year.

Lore Eco

Breaking the Stereotypes

At Lore Eco we have begun works towards raising ecosan awareness, popularization and ecosan toilets construction in early 2008. We began the project in the rural mountainous communities of Lore region, in the villages of Urut and Sverdlovo. Thus, the ecosan project implemented by Lore Eco with support of WECF addressed sanitation issues in these low income village comunities and the work has been done towards solving them by construction and popularization of ecological sanitation toilets.

The main obstacle faced was that of psychological stereotypes questioning ethical issue of dry urine diverting toilets and use of waste as a fertilizer. We started with workshops and meeting with the main segments - the private farm households, schools, local self government bodies. We tried to address the questions in a simple and effective manner, explaining the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach to sanitation. We tried to organize a dialogue while substantiating the need to make a new approach to sanitation needs, the issue of having proper sanitation within a tiny budget, the way to save their limited resources while achieving greater sanitary standards. Simultaneously, several ecosan toilets were constructed in most visited institutions such as schools and local municipality.

We believe that the project has contributed to beneficiaries in the way that they can keep proper sanitation conditions without having too struggled with fixed and monthly charges related to water supply and sanitation and generating more gender equality since female beneficiaries can attend schools and public buildings more frequently and use these constraints in everyday life.

Overall, the project was composed of two separate but equally important parts: first, to construct ecosan toilets in the villages, establishing a precedent and, secondly,to raise public awareness and break stereotypes, thus encouraging households to apply the techniques.

Finally, while building dry urine diverting toilets, we have strived to make them available to disabled people, also making them more easily accessibly to senior people.

In the next year, we intend to develop new techniques that allow to use traditional and available materials to construct affordable ecosan toilets. We believe that symbiosis of local traditions and architecture with new techniques can work effectively. We also have analyzed setbacks such as ways to keep the public dry urine diverting toilets clean and tidy, to ensure greater safety against vandalism and more effective popularization techniques and will account them in the next year.

ECOTOX

Ecosanitation - Just a Better Livelihood or Something More?

Ecosanitation has been making big steps during the last two years in the Republic of Moldova. From the beginning, the concept of ecological sanitation was brought in Moldova by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and in time Women of Europe for a Common Future joined by supporting two Moldovan non-governmental organizations, one of them being ECOTOX, in the promotion of ecosanitation in rural areas. The ECOTOX project Better Livelihoods and Health Conditions for Rural Moldova through the community empowerment started in 2008 and it has been designed for 3 years. This project, which is implemented in Criscauti village, situated in the northern part of the country, meets together environmental, social and cultural aspects.

Only during the year of 2008, it was managed to build an ecosan toilet for the village kindergarten, which allowed the improving of sanitary conditions in this public institution, and three household ecosan toilets. An innovation can only be widely implemented if it is accepted by the public. For this reason, ECOTOX project is accompanied by educational activities, which include even some demonstrational studies. For example, in order to promote water pollution control, the actual state of wells in the village was investigated and their main pollution sources were identified. The population was involved in this water quality assessment and the results regarding the current situation of wells and sanitation in the village were presented to the local authorities. As a result, some householders cleaned up their wells and the district council allotted necessary funds for the construction of a new well at the local kindergarten.

The construction of a new toilet and well at the kindergarten played a big demonstrational role, and the works were continued by changing the kindergarten windows, with the financial support of the local council (approximately 4500 Euro), making possible the energy saving during the cold season. In addition, with ECOTOX support, a letter-project to the central authorities was prepared and the Government took the decision to finance the repair of the kindergarten roof (approximately 15000 Euro).

In this way, the experience acquired in this first year of the undergoing project has showen the big potential of ecological sanitation not only towards the achievement of a better livelihood and health conditions, but towards the strengthening of the local community.

We would like to add that during this short period, ECOTOX managed to gain the support of all the local community and, especially, the sympathy of the kindergarten children, who called ECOTOX members in a very respectful manner - “the educators from Chisinau”.

Greens

Implementation of Sustainable Technologies for Rural Population of Western Georgia

Project name: Implementation of new sustainable methods of solving Sanitarian-Prophylactic problems, ensuring access to safe water and supplying alternative energy resources in rural areas of Georgia.

Project was implemented with support of WECF.

Project mainly focuses on the issues of environment, health, sustainable development, and poverty reduction in poor regions of Georgia.

Goals of the project are
• To build the capacity of poor local communities in rural areas, citizens, organizations, private sector and authorities
• Show ways to rural citizens to improve living and health conditions with simple traditional and new sustainable technologies
• To test and improve drinking water quality and supply system in rural areas of target regions with traditional methods and cooperate with water supply companies
• To involve local population in the processes of decision making
• Popularization of renewable energy technologies and implementation of pilot projects (construction of a bio-gas plant, solar warm-water collectors, eco-san dry UD toilets, constructed wells, soil filters)
• To prepare informational materials on renewable technologies and eco-sanitation issues
• To organize awareness raising activities for rural population in the target areas
• To establish eco-san committees in the target villages, join the local authorities in decision-making processes and involve them in all the above mentioned activities
• To prepare a baseline study of selected Villages using different methods (distributing special questionnaires)
• To organize discussions on eco-sanitation, safe water and renewable energy in different representatives of society (teachers, local government representatives, local people, farmers, etc)
• Cooperation with mass-media (to publish newsletter articles and organize TV and radio programs).

Target regions: West Georgia, Samegrelo (Villages: Sepieti, Nosiri, Teklati) and Imeteri (Village Matkhoji).

Target groups are
• Local population (villagers)
• Local Government
• Local NGO’s
• Local Mass-media
• Local medical services
• Local water-supply companies
• Local teachers
• Local farmers.

Results achieved are
• 20 Eco-toilets: 18 in the target households and 2 at the monastery (122 users)
• 20 Solar warm-water collectors for hand-washing facilities: 18 in the target households and 2 at the monastery (122 users)
• 13 Constructed wells in 12 target households and 1 in the kindergarten (150 users, 225 users in general)
• 1 biogas in the onastery (14 users)
• 1 solar warm-water collector in the monastery (14 users)

Charitable Women

The Village Stands on the Way to Development

In 2008 WECF helped implement the Toward the Sustainable Village project, which gave one Ecosan toilet to the office and “Caxkunq” club to the village, which they needed so much. The two farms did some alternative agriculture works and Rest Zone for the “Caxkunq” club and the village’s children. Thanks to the project, the village is developing, thereby improving the living conditions of the villagers.

SAFO

САФО – «чистота»

САФО от персидского слова «соф» (чистый) означает «чистота» и основным направлением организации является чистота как санитария, гигиена, окружающая среда и здоровье. САФО как женская общественная организация уделяет огромное внимание здоровью женщин и воспитанию здорового молодого поколения. Организация существует с 2004 года и за эти годы реализовала несколько проектов, направленных на улучшение санитарно-гигиенических норм таких, как строительство водосмываемых и сухих туалетов, обеспечение населения чистой питьевой водой. Также организация занимается развитием женских комитетов в сельской местности и информированием молодого поколения о ВИЧ/СПИД. В разное время донорами и партнерами проектов были и остаются такие организации как UNICEF, ACT Central Asia, WECF, CECI, CIDA, AFEW и др.

Сотрудники организации имеют колоссальный опыт в проведении тренингов как для молодой так и для взрослой аудитории на различные темы, такие как написание проектов, управление рабочим временем, СИГИС – как метод участия, 7 компонентов санитарии и др.

За годы своего существования САФО построило более 60 школьных туалетов и около 200 туалетов для домохозяйств. Последние 36 сухих туалетов были построены по проекту Участие-Улучшение-Продвижение в партнерстве с WECF.

В перспективе САФО планирует привлечь внимание других организаций к проблемам женщин и детей в Таджикистане для реализации проектов, которые смогут помочь найти пути для решения проблем.

ASDP Nau

Fair Access to Clean Water, Hygiene and Sanitation via Community Mobilization in Northern Tajikistan

The project is financially supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is carried out in cooperation with Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF), the Netherlands.

The given project aims to provide a fair access to a pure drinking water and assists in building safe sanitary hygienic conditions in the target communities of the Sogd region of the Republic of Tajikistan through:

1) Increasing the awareness level of communities in the sphere of sanitation and hygiene: applying the alternative approaches in community mobilization: PHAST & BEHAVIOR (informing, mobilization, planning, trainings, exchange visits);
2) Implementing a number of infrastructural projects on modifying the sanitary situation through introduction of alternative technologies (ecological sanitation, in particular, ecotoilets with a urine separation mechanism) as well as the projects on providing a pure drinking water;
3) Dissemination of experience on applying new technologies and promotion of approaches based on community participation in solving the problems with regard to sanitation and access to safe water at the local, regional and national levels.

Within the framework of the project in 2008 there were reconstructed 7 water supply systems in the target areas. Now 18490 people have an access to safe drinking water and there were built 3 school ecotoilets for 1428 school children, adults and teachers. There were provided trainings on PHAST methodology for women and children. The trainings gave an opportunity for communities to understand the interconnection between the behavior of community’s members and the diseases spread in this community. This will further change the traditional behavior of the community as one of the main reasons for a high level of illness, lack of good quality water and poor environment. In 2009 year ASDP Nau is planning to build 10 dry urine diverting toilets in households and 1 school toilet in Ganchy district. Demoplots will be implemented in schools in order to show the use of compost and urine as a fertilizer. All schools in rural districts of Tajikistan are not connected to the centralized system. These schools use outdoor toilets, pit latrines. Only some of them which are in the centre of the region have toilets inside but they are out of order [do not function].
School toilets are in general in a shocking condition. In rural areas schools have pit latrines, which are in general extremely bad-smelling without any hygiene. There is neiher soap nor toilet paper or water to wash hands after using the toilet and even the doors are absent there. Because of the bad conditions of the school toilets, girls cannot use them. The toilets do not meet any sanitation standard. Schoolgirls do not use the school toilet throughout the day and come home after school and go to toilet at home. This fact has negative effect on girls’ health who will have to give birth to children in the future.

There is no water supply system in the village schools either; they use water from pools and springs. It must be highlighted that the depth of underground water in Spitamen region ranges from 4m - 17 meters and it is the dangerous source of some infection diseases. The ground water is polluted by human and animal waste and fertilizers. The promotion and construction of dry urine diverting toilets is one of the best and available ways of solution to the ground water pollution problem.

The awareness level of rural communities in the sphere of sanitation and hygiene is very low. Therefore, it is very important to train the rural communities in order to create a sustainable process. The project plans to train local citizens and constructers to construct, operate and maintain an ecosan toilet, and to use safely compost and urine in the agriculture as a fertilizer.

The local population, authorities and schools will be involved into project implementation. School children, teachers, villagers will be educated on the safe sanitation, water protection, hygiene and health, and will be actively monitoring drinking water quality on nitrates (the special indicator of water pollution ) in their region. The target house holds will be trained on maintenance and operation of the dry toilets, and to develop organic waste composting programs, allowing improved agricultural activities in their fields.

The articles about case studies and project implementation have been published in the local and regional mass media.

Agerkech

Safe and Affordable Sanitation Access to Everyone

This project aims to protect water bodies against pollution, reuse nutrients, improve sanitary conditions and hygiene, reduce poverty and increase harvest with less financial input.

Expected Results

• Improved health, hygiene and drinking water sources among 5000 people in three poor villages
• Access to safe and affordable water and sanitation and preventive water protection measures
• Protected water bodies against pollution
• Safe water and reuse of nutrients
• Potential poverty reduction and increase in harvest with less financial input
• Capacity building of project team and community
• Awareness raising

Project Results

Conducted training for 12 households on individual base on construction of UDDT. Published and distributed a WECF publications, Construction of UDDTs and Safe and Affordable Toilets among 15 current UDDT owners and 5 potential beneficiaries.

Completed

• 4 UDDTs in Bakayata village - 100 %
• 3 UDDTs in Bakayata village and 1 UDDT in Vostok village, Chue region - 90 %
• 3 UDDTs in Bakayata village - 30 %. Planned to complete in March-April, 2009 depending on weather conditions. Construction is stopped due to the winter conditions.

On regular base the project team provide individual consultations and technical support for UDDTs owners. In February, 2009, planned to conduct trainings on rules and procedures of exploitation of innovative UDDTs for current and potential stakeholders.

CAAW

WECF Helps the Fergana Valley

The Central-Asian Alliance Public Association for Water in cooperation with the Mehr-Shavkat Public Fund in 2008 began the implementation of the new project to improve living standards of rural population by introducing new technologies of eco-sanitation concept to agriculture in 5 target villages (Birlik, Pahta-Aral, Navrul, Jany-Aravan and Mangyt) of Aravan rayon, Osh oblast.

This project was aimed to improve living standards of rural population by introducing new technologies of eco-sanitation concept to agriculture. The interest to live in a healthy way attracts more tame attention of both specialists and local population* (*stands for the target villages in Aravan rayon). It is one of the main aims for CAAW to train people in the target villages on sanitation concept and hygiene education where diseases are caused firstly by the lifestyle and daily behavior. At current time, the healthy way of life is examined as basis prophylactics against diseases. The farmers with poor sanitation and ignorance of hygiene norms in target areas were been thoroughly trained by the CAAW and Mehr-Shavkat professional trainers and experts during the planned period, much more benefits were gained by the farmers, e.g., the reduction of infant mortality up to 80% and mortality reduction of all population are linked not only to medicine but to improvement of living conditions. Together with this the survey showed that 52% of women and children and 48% of men lead an unhealthy way of life in rural areas of the target villages.

Thus, the CAAW members did their best to obtain the positive results from the project helping local people change their hygiene behavior and organized more than 120 official trainings, workshops and practical consultations for 2533 people in the target villages. More than 10000 people of Aravan ayil okmotu were informed on eco-san concept, eco-toilets and using technology of organic fertilizers through local mass media (TV, papers and informational materials releases).

A special interest and help in decision of village problems is being insured by our donor Women of Europe for a Common Future (WECF), the Netherlands.

The Project Results:

Agriculture:
8 Farmer Groups (120 farmers) had trainings on soil preparation to sowing where they learned:
а) How to prepare soil to sowing by means of consultations.
b) What minerals and fertilizers are possible to use in preparation of soil.
• Trainings were conducted on groups funds and its efficient usage as a self help group of farmer groups, covering what savings are, what fund’s savings are, for what and how to use funds of farmer groups.
• Field consultations were given to the farmer groups according to the rules of soil irrigation and sowing process. 4 demonstrative fields are chosen with the purpose of practical examination of the farmer groups' members complying with the rules of soil plowing and further sowing depending on inoculums.

Training on Gender:
а) Woman’s role in making family budget and its usage
b) Woman’s role in family in advocacy of sanitary and hygiene standards
c) Economic inequality of rights: 48 women of the farmer groups closely become acquainted with its “existence” in the family, the society, the country and the way of its overcoming, decision making and possibilities of its exclusion.
d) Advocacy and lobbying: the memebers learned main conceps as what advocacy and lobbying are and how to implement them locally.
e)Struggle with vermin of cotton, potato and tomato: the members learned what type of chemicals to use, taking into a consideration kinds of vermin and plants.

Feedback:

Many more local farmers who had joined the workshops and practical trainings stated that the chemical fertilizers cost very expensive and the constant usage of the chemicals had a negative effect on the quality of soil and agricultural products. The use of urine and faeces as organic fertilizers significantly improved their life householding like saved extra money and helped growing better crops using ecosan toilet organic fertilizers and that, besides growing various domestic products for their own consumption, they also were able to sell them at the markets and increase their family income.

End of the first implementation year:

CAAW has ensured monitoring of all household and school Eco San toilets during the whole operation year, allowing to make corrections into their further construction and approved them. The school Eco San toilet was given to school use; the school administration in their turn undertook obligations on monitoring and control of the Eco San toilet. The school administration appointed the responsible people for cleaning, safety and toilet maintenance. The CAAW local trainers gave trainings on sanitation and hygiene and on using of urine and faeces as organic fertilizers in agriculture to the farmer groups.

Difficulties faced in the project implementation:

• The constant price rise on materials for Eco San toilet construction.
The price rise on the market and continuous jumps of exchange rates adversely affected the construction of household/school Eco San toilets, transportation and workshops, trainings and the project fellows’ payments.
• Difficulties with the approval of a general plan of School Eco San toilet construction. After the Soviet Union had collapsed, there were consequently mistakes in planning. The problem was solved by Aiyl Okmotu, the State Architecture and School Administration.

UGAM

Advancement of the Dry Toilets in Tolebi and Sairam Regions

In 2008 the UGAM Public Association with ELA support has begun the implementation of the project, Advancement of the Dry Toilets in Tolebi and Sairam Regions.

We have constructed 3 demonstration Ecosan toilets. One dry toilet has been constructed at our office in the city of Lenger. The second dry toilet has been constructed in the Sairam-Ugam National Park. The third dry toilet has been constructed under the personal initiative in the guest house in the city of Lenger.

We have given 8 planned trainings. 4 trainings in summer, and 4 trainings in autumn. The trainings were conducted in an enlightening and interesting way.The participants were interested and asked many questions. During the trainings we told the population how to build a dry toilet. We told how to apply Ecosan in agriculture.

About fifteen families have very much become interested and have expressed desire to build a dry toilet at home.
In our city of Lenger there is a school for children with hearing disabilities. The management of this school was present at our trainings. Then they have independently constructed a dry toilet for teachers. In 2009 with ELA support we will build a school toilet for pupils of this school.

We have chosen Aitmurzaev Talgat and Zhaukharov Marat as our trainers for the Train the Trainers on Hygiene & Ecosan program. They are members of our Public Association and live in the villages of Georgievka and Kazakhstan. We have given them all printing and electronic materials about Ecosan. They received a good knowledge and will now distribute it.

The local authorities have been informed about Ecosan technologies. The local authorities support the project and are ready to co-operate.

The management of Sayram-Ugam National Park, sanitary-and-epidemiologic service management have been acquainted with the project. The representatives of these organizations took part in trainings.

In total, about 120 persons have got acquainted with technologies of dt construction during our trainings and presentations.
UGAM Director participated in ELA trainings in Kyrgyzstan. We have learnt a lot of new and we successfully put this knowledge into practice.

ULGU

First in Central Asia!

"Our school is the first school in all Central Asia that has built a school toilet with a new technology; now it is even possible to go to toilet without going out, and we can wash our hands after using the toilet. It is great!

Before that both in dirt and in heat we had to go to toilet, in spring in dirt or in summer in dust, which was far from the school. It is a shame to admit, but we had to bring the dirt or dust from the toilet into the classroom. I do not remember that since my 1st grade I have washed my hands after using a toilet. It was impossible because in our school there were neither washing-stands nor water in general. In this situation there was no use to mention washing hands with soap.

And how about houses? To tell the truth, the majority of pupils, especially elementary school, have no habit to wash hands after a toilet. For some children, soap is available only in the morning and when taking a bath. It is time for us villagers to also get used to the culture of sanitary and hygiene. I think, our school toilet will teach rural children to follow the elementary rules of sanitary and hygiene. Therefore, I eagerly participate in each «ashar» or I gratuitously make my contribution to a construction of a school toilet, although I go to school in the other neighbourhood. If I have money or material means, I will surely contribute them. But it is a pity that I have not yet have them. As a member of the school health club, created on the basis of this school, I will actively promote this school toilet with 4 pupils of the neighbouring schools. I do not feel sorry at all that I will waste time for nothing, visiting the health club. My friends and I are proud that the first dry school toilet in Central Asia will appear exactly in our school", told Azis Kalmyrzaev, the president of health club "Dostuk", created at school named after Mashrapova in Osh oblast.

«And I want very much a dry toilet at our house. How many benefits are there from such a toilet? I liked very much the pleasant sanitary conditions of a toilet, without the unpleasant smell and flies. I was surprised very much, I haven’t seen yet such a toilet in villages, and wanted very much to know secrets of how to make such a toilet. Therefore, from the first days I attentively observed the construction, also participed in the trainings, attentively listened to the lectures about construction and usage of a dry toilet. Yes, it is turned out that our toilets pollute air and sewage, do huge harm to the environment and to human health. In the training I have learnt that the dry toilet could solve our pollution. As the urine does not get to the chamber, it separates and is collected in a special tankage. After processing, it is applied as a fertilizer in growing agriculture crops. Oh, how urine is rich in nutritition! Yes, not waiting for the toilet construction, I have been already collecting urine of my children, started an experiment of using urine as a fertilizer. I have been watering flowers. I am convinced that the toilet construction is not difficult, all necessary materials for construction are local, a design also is not too difficult, and the most important thing that project experts have promised to help, to set toilet sanitary arrangements. Now I am actively promoting a dry toilet at our house", told a young woman from Jetigen village of Aksy region in Jalalabat oblast.

“I am very glad that I have learned to prepare an organic fertilizer- compost from the organic waste for my garden. It´s turned out that we can prepare a valuable organic fertilizer from a household waste. I was spending lots of money on chemical fertilizers every year. The volume of application was increasing, but at the same time productivity was decreasing every year. Yes, I also agree, neither me nor my land got any benefit from application of chemicals, but it turned out that harm was done to the environment and my relatives’ health. It turned out that from my illiterate farming I brought the land to exhaustion at the result. Our poor mother earth! It turned out that on my folly it sufferred and moaned. As a prodigal son, I noticed nothing about sufferings of the mother earth; I did not show any care to it; without feeding her, I demanded as much as possible from it. Thanks to the consultants who have shown my problems directly. By participating, I have learnt the technology of composting, crop rotation, increase in fertility, usage of urine as fertilizers and many other things. I think, things are moving. We have created our biofarmers’ community. I am sure together we can solve our problems. We are proud, we are the first biofarmers of our area", told Abdullaev Alibaj from Markaz village of Batken oblast.

We are glad that our project “Development of Biofarmers’ Communities is a Basis of Poverty Reduction of Rural Population” has got support of wide mass of rural community. The project is supported by the regional state administrations, the administrations of rural districts, the regional organizations and the institutions. We manged to implement the project objectives set for 2008. 6 household dry toilets were constructed and are being used. 3 demonstration centers were created, where the trainings and demonstrations on biofarming methods, ecosanitation, water usage and energy were conducted. The three first biofarmers’ communities were created, members of which started appplying organic methods of farming into their farms and following rules of sanitation and hygiene. During the reporting year, the trainings and demonstrations were conducted with participation of more than 1432 adults and pupils. Among them, 52% participants noted that they had learned to use ecosan, 24 farmers could construct dry toilets, and four constructers were trained. In the target villages, 3 demonstration centers and 3 school health clubs were created, which would implement educational programs on biofarming, ecosanitation, water usage and energy.
The beginning is set! Now there is the task to develop the initiative started with success.

M. Dooranov, ULGU Director