A long drop

I seem to be here in Sitima at a particularly exciting time watching buildings go up around me. The local secondary school is having a school hall built which amongst other things will act as a base for public exams later on in the school year. It seems that in previous years children not taking exams have time off school whilst the school leavers are spread out amongst the classrooms to take their exams, so this year will be a first as with examinees hived off in the hall the others can continue with their normal education The other building going on very near to me is the conversion of an old building into a clinic, which when built will stop the need for locals travelling around 20 kms to reach one. Funding isn’t in place yet for the whole project but two essential elements are currently being constructed thanks to income from donors. A large brick built incinerator is just about finished but the construction of the loos is what is fascinating me the most. Most toilets here are of the long drop variety and I often wondered why they didn’t fill up, perhaps the photo will give you an idea. A huge rectangular hole is dug and then within it a brick surround is built with drainage holes at regular intervals. (The hole in the picture wasn’t finished and it finally went a couple of metres deeper). I have used long drops in cooler places like Canadian National Parks and in Norway and I did at first think that here in the heat they would be quite smelly but they are not at all. A very simple efficient design to meet a most basic human need