Corbelled toilets improve hygiene standards in Mchinji district

Communities in Mchinji district have described the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project which has seen construction of modern pit latrine toilets dubbed Corbelled (mwamuna pumule) as a game changer when it comes to personal hygiene.

The toilets are WASH project under main project called Sustainable Food System for Rural Agriculture and Resilience (TRANSFORM) which is being implemented by Norwegian Church Aid/Dan Church Aid Joint Country Programme in Partnership with Assemblies of God Care (AG-CARE) in the district.

Deputy Headteacher for Chitunda Primary School, Benison Friday, has told us the newly introduced toilets are durable and condusive for environment.

“As you can see, since 2022 up to now, this toilet is still here and still in operational. We expect it to last for very long time since we reached water table when digging,” he said.

Friday says in the past, the school used to experience challenges like frequent sinking when it comes to latrines before the introduction of the new toilets.

“We encourage pupils here to take the message home and let their parents adapt this system. It is healthy”, he added.

On the other hand, WASH coordinator for Mchinji district, Ganizani Chirindanji said the initiative has helped to fight open defecation.

“There is an increased sanitation coverage for the district. The project aims to have more households with more latrines hence fighting open defecation,” he said.

On hygiene, the coordinator has told us that people are now aware of the need to wash hands after using the toilets as the new facility also encourages that.

Six districts which are Mchinji, Dowa, Kasunga, Mzimba South, Mzimba North, Kasungu and Rumphi are benefiting from the project which started in 2022 and will phase out in 2025. 150 thousand agriculture dependent households are expected to be reached during the period.

Royal Norwegian Embassy is providing the financial support.