Malawi Program: Mchenga Community School
In early 2021, we began a partnership with the community of Mchenga, Malawi, located in southeastern Africa. We are working with community members and the Bless Bay Foundation to design and implement an improved sanitation system for a school of around 875 students, which include ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines, changing rooms, and hand wash stations.
Designing and building a safe, clean sanitation system that the community is proud of can help prevent student absences due to waterborne and sanitation related illnesses and improve the quality of the school infrastructure as a whole.
During the 2022-2023 school year, our group will be working on improving the boys' latrine block design, applying to project-specific grants, and preparing for another implementation trip tentatively planned for September 2023.
We are always looking for more students to join our group, no experience needed! We'd love to hear from you or see you at a meeting if you're interested!
Timeline
Jan 2021 - Partnership began
Fall 2021 - Remote assessment trip to collect engineering data and community input
Winter 2022 -
Spring 2022 - Research, design, and model the latrine structures
Summer 2022 - Implemented girls' latrine block
Fall 2022 - Trip review and 2022 Impacts Gala preparation
Winter + Spring 2022 - Design revision, trip preparation, and fundraising
Summer 2022 - Traveling to Malawi to implement!!!
Fall + Winter - Implementation monitoring
Beyond - Start additional structural and/or water projects
Designing and building a safe, clean sanitation system that the community is proud of can help prevent student absences due to waterborne and sanitation related illnesses and improve the quality of the school infrastructure as a whole.
During the 2022-2023 school year, our group will be working on improving the boys' latrine block design, applying to project-specific grants, and preparing for another implementation trip tentatively planned for September 2023.
We are always looking for more students to join our group, no experience needed! We'd love to hear from you or see you at a meeting if you're interested!
Timeline
Jan 2021 - Partnership began
Fall 2021 - Remote assessment trip to collect engineering data and community input
Winter 2022 -
Spring 2022 - Research, design, and model the latrine structures
Summer 2022 - Implemented girls' latrine block
Fall 2022 - Trip review and 2022 Impacts Gala preparation
Winter + Spring 2022 - Design revision, trip preparation, and fundraising
Summer 2022 - Traveling to Malawi to implement!!!
Fall + Winter - Implementation monitoring
Beyond - Start additional structural and/or water projects
Want to learn more or get involved?
Contact project leads Yak ([email protected]) or Kristin ([email protected]) for more information!
Contact project leads Yak ([email protected]) or Kristin ([email protected]) for more information!