A Toilet Made without Cement in Manda

It is not easy to construct a toilet in Manda, a village reached by a two hour drive from Wamena, Jayawijaya, Papua. That is why until November 2013, there was only one house that had a toilet in the village.

The high price of materials to construct a toilet was the main reason for the  absence of toilets. Just imagine, a sack of cement in the village costs 800,000 rupiahs (some USD$72), more than 10 times cement price in Jakarta!

Consequently, people chose an easy but unhealthy method instead: defecating in an improper place. These conditions threaten the health of the community because of illnesses caused by unsanitary practices.

Realizing the situation, Wahana Visi Indonesia gathered together the community, adults and children, and discussed solutions. After the activity, 15 people committed to constructing toilets.

To start the movement, Yonias, a church cleric and some youth constructed three toilets in the church complex.

We used materials available in the village. For the toilet floor, we use gravel and ashes. The ashes function as cement. Mixed with boiling water, ashes became as hard as cement. We also use other local materials such as zinc, wood, bamboo and thatch.

We also make tippy tap from jerry can and wood in front of the toilet to remind the toilet users to always wash hands with soap after using the toilet.

So far, we have constructed 7 toilets. We keep advocating the Manda people on healthy sanitation and I hope it is not only my village, but other villages in Jayawijaya that also take initiative to build sanitary toilets.

*Written by Yali Inggibal, Development Facilitator, Wahana Visi Indonesia at Jayawijaya operational office