Houy Tan (Phase 1)
(completed: February 2016)
(completed: February 2016)
Location and Access
Houy Tan is located approximately 10km from Luang Prabang city centre. To reach the community one has to cross the Mekong River and enter Chomphet District where only a winding dirt road provides access for vehicles. Wet season provides issues for large vehicles, in particular toward the end of August. The terrain is a combination of teak covered hills, shallow valleys and lowlands consisting of acres of rice paddy fields.
Houy Tan is located approximately 10km from Luang Prabang city centre. To reach the community one has to cross the Mekong River and enter Chomphet District where only a winding dirt road provides access for vehicles. Wet season provides issues for large vehicles, in particular toward the end of August. The terrain is a combination of teak covered hills, shallow valleys and lowlands consisting of acres of rice paddy fields.
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The Economy
Farming is the major source of income for the community. Cultivation of the surrounding rice paddy fields is the main source due to the flatlands and valleys surrounding the community. There is evidence of slash and burn on the surrounding slopes, though this practice is not overly common and occurs sporadically during March. |
Demographic
The village is home to 61 families with a total population of just over 300. The school population consists of 48 students and only 3 teachers. Those residing in Houy Tan are of Khmu ethnicity. Who are the Khmu? Click to find out. |
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Condition of sanitation in Houy Tan pre-project
At the commencement of our development program only the school had access to two adequate units. Some locals have tried to build their own, for the most part the level of construction is poor, and units have been dug too shallow. The issue with shallow units is obvious and this project further seeks to educate and explain the importance of hygiene via community workshops. Thus, pre-project the village had been, like many poorer rural communities, practicing open defection.
At the commencement of our development program only the school had access to two adequate units. Some locals have tried to build their own, for the most part the level of construction is poor, and units have been dug too shallow. The issue with shallow units is obvious and this project further seeks to educate and explain the importance of hygiene via community workshops. Thus, pre-project the village had been, like many poorer rural communities, practicing open defection.
The Project:
To assist locals in the construction of individual sanitation units for each family within the community
To assist locals in the construction of individual sanitation units for each family within the community
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The project will consist of constructing 62 sanitation facilities, 61 for each family in the community and 1 communal unit at the village meeting hall. Volunteer work itself will be hands on with the local community, digging and laying bricks, cutting timber, carrying sand, gravel and mixing concrete. Some of the materials, especially timber and sand, as well as labour, will form the contribution from the village towards the project.
The village primary school, the nearest high school is 15km away
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The meeting hall where volunteers will sleep
A plot where a sanitation unit will be built
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Why is this work so important?
· Diarrhoeal diseases are responsible for one third of all undernutrition cases and one tenth of deaths among Lao children under the age of 5
· Over a third of Laotians lack proper sanitation, practising ‘open defecation’, and only 19% of children’s faeces are disposed of safely
· While urban sanitation access in Lao PDR is 90%, 50% of rural households are still practicing open defecation and/or using unimproved sanitation as of 2012. This is far below the average for rural sanitation access in Eastern Asia (excluding China) of 83%
· During the last decade child malnutrition has improved very marginally and almost 49% of rural children were stunted in 2011
· Stunting has a permanent impact on the life of a child. It does not only affect the child’s height, but also her/his cognitive abilities. Stunted children are likely to become less productive adults, and be less able to contribute to their country’s growth and prosperity
· The poorest segments of the population are suffering most from the lack of improved sanitation facilities: in 2011, only 13% of the poorest households (100% of the richest households) were using improved sanitation
· Diarrhoeal diseases are responsible for one third of all undernutrition cases and one tenth of deaths among Lao children under the age of 5
· Over a third of Laotians lack proper sanitation, practising ‘open defecation’, and only 19% of children’s faeces are disposed of safely
· While urban sanitation access in Lao PDR is 90%, 50% of rural households are still practicing open defecation and/or using unimproved sanitation as of 2012. This is far below the average for rural sanitation access in Eastern Asia (excluding China) of 83%
· During the last decade child malnutrition has improved very marginally and almost 49% of rural children were stunted in 2011
· Stunting has a permanent impact on the life of a child. It does not only affect the child’s height, but also her/his cognitive abilities. Stunted children are likely to become less productive adults, and be less able to contribute to their country’s growth and prosperity
· The poorest segments of the population are suffering most from the lack of improved sanitation facilities: in 2011, only 13% of the poorest households (100% of the richest households) were using improved sanitation
Volunteers working on the installation of tanks
Outcomes
Upon completion of the project the benefits to the community will be far reaching indeed. A community with no real access to adequate sanitation will not only have a toilet per household, but also the education on the importance of safe hygiene practices, and in turn the knowledge of the benefits to health and well being for themselves and their family derived from the facility.
From a purely health perspective the benefits of adequate sanitation acts as a preventive intervention, the main outcome is a reduction in the number of episodes of infectious diarrhoea. Stunting will still persist to a degree as it's causes are broader than the aforementioned. However, adequate sanitation is an important part of it's reduction and a very positive step in the right direction long-term.
Upon completion of the project the benefits to the community will be far reaching indeed. A community with no real access to adequate sanitation will not only have a toilet per household, but also the education on the importance of safe hygiene practices, and in turn the knowledge of the benefits to health and well being for themselves and their family derived from the facility.
From a purely health perspective the benefits of adequate sanitation acts as a preventive intervention, the main outcome is a reduction in the number of episodes of infectious diarrhoea. Stunting will still persist to a degree as it's causes are broader than the aforementioned. However, adequate sanitation is an important part of it's reduction and a very positive step in the right direction long-term.
Non-health benefits are also diverse, from gains that are easily identifiable and quantifiable (costs avoided, time saved) to the more intangible (convenience, well-being).
A specific example would be school attendance (children less likely to miss school due to diarrhoea related illness). Therefore, one could assert a child would gain a better education from their family possessing an adequate sanitation unit. Their increased attendance due to less prevalence of ill-health is measurable, their added comfort of improved health is harder to judge, but we would expect added comfort to improve learning retention within the community.
Adults are also beneficiaries to the obvious health benefits. It is also reasonable to expect them to be more productive within their community. Less time spent taking care of their children suffering from ill-health would deliver more working days to contribute to the village economy. Indeed, their own improvements to health and wellbeing would also deliver more working days.
The convenience of having a household sanitation unit removes the time taken to find a suitable area to practice open defecation (more time to be productive) and removes the costs derived from open defecation (environmental cleanup/medicine for disease borne from the practice). It also delivers improved levels of well being through the knowledge and understanding that as a community they are now utilising a far better and modernised sanitation process.
Ultimately, this project will greatly improve levels of sanitation and access to it within Houy Tan. This will deliver improved health, hygiene and well being. Whilst also increasing productivity (economic & social), convenience (more time) and an increased standard of living for all who reside in the community.
A specific example would be school attendance (children less likely to miss school due to diarrhoea related illness). Therefore, one could assert a child would gain a better education from their family possessing an adequate sanitation unit. Their increased attendance due to less prevalence of ill-health is measurable, their added comfort of improved health is harder to judge, but we would expect added comfort to improve learning retention within the community.
Adults are also beneficiaries to the obvious health benefits. It is also reasonable to expect them to be more productive within their community. Less time spent taking care of their children suffering from ill-health would deliver more working days to contribute to the village economy. Indeed, their own improvements to health and wellbeing would also deliver more working days.
The convenience of having a household sanitation unit removes the time taken to find a suitable area to practice open defecation (more time to be productive) and removes the costs derived from open defecation (environmental cleanup/medicine for disease borne from the practice). It also delivers improved levels of well being through the knowledge and understanding that as a community they are now utilising a far better and modernised sanitation process.
Ultimately, this project will greatly improve levels of sanitation and access to it within Houy Tan. This will deliver improved health, hygiene and well being. Whilst also increasing productivity (economic & social), convenience (more time) and an increased standard of living for all who reside in the community.
Work has been underway in Houy Tan since December 2014.
So far work has been completed in staggered stages. The main reason for this is a lack of funding to get the project completed as soon as possible.
So far work has been completed in staggered stages. The main reason for this is a lack of funding to get the project completed as soon as possible.
As of June 2015 we have delivered and commenced work to complete the second stage of the project. The end of this stage will see the community with 31 completed units. These 31 will be completed by August.
The below cost breakdown is for one individual unit:
Note: As part of the community "buy in" to the project materials such as timber for roof beams and doors, additional sand when needed, as well as unskilled labour are not included.
In February 2016 the project completed.
Huge thanks to all the volunteers that worked and donated to the project, as well as the contributions made by individuals on our online fundraisers.
Over 60 families in the community now have access to safe sanitation via the implementation of individual toilets for all households.
What is more, locals have gained an education in the importance of practicing safe hygiene, which is a vital component in improving the health and well being of the villagers for years to come.
The village took ownership of the project on the 5th February 2016 where all the locals, VTL staff and district officials recognised the projects success and completion.
Huge thanks to all the volunteers that worked and donated to the project, as well as the contributions made by individuals on our online fundraisers.
Over 60 families in the community now have access to safe sanitation via the implementation of individual toilets for all households.
What is more, locals have gained an education in the importance of practicing safe hygiene, which is a vital component in improving the health and well being of the villagers for years to come.
The village took ownership of the project on the 5th February 2016 where all the locals, VTL staff and district officials recognised the projects success and completion.
