Digging Douches

We had a whirlwind trip to the village and lots of things are going on! The Peace Corps Partnership was entirely funded, thanks to everyone's generous donations. Thank you, thank you! While I was on vacation, the money arrived from Washington D.C., and the very evening I got into the village my counterpart was holding a meeting to explain the project, who it came about, and the steps everyone had to take. The very next day, the two men in charge of measuring the space for the latrines went around the town, marking off the area. By day two, people had already begun digging. One of my nearest neighbors had done two meters in only one day! They're really excited. As my counterpart says, the people of my village have been wanting to build latrines in their compounds for nearly ten years now, and finally - because of this Peace Corps Partnership - they can do it. On their own, they've organized a mason to help with the technical parts of latrine construction, such as building the seat, and everyone is doing their part to collect the materials they need for their family's douche. Next week we'll meet in Kaolack to buy and transport the materials, so everyone can start making bricks. It's so exciting! And everyone is so pleased.