Completion of Male Dormitory and Renovation of Toilets and Showers at Hisani Orphanage, Tanzania
Project location: Tanzania
Project start date: January 2013 -
Project end date: April 2013
Project number: 2012-117
Beneficiary: Associazione Filippo Astori onlus
The project intended to support the Hisani orphanage in Tanzania and improve children's health conditions by providing adequate sanitary facilities, and ensuring a reserve of water in case of emergency.
The activities implemented thanks to NPF grant were part of a large-scale project carried out by the Association Filippo Astori, to solve once for all the emergency housing at Hisani Orphanage. Particularly, the specific object of this grant was the renovation of the toilets and showers building, including the rebuilding of septic tanks and of an iron column for a water tank of 10.000 litres, in order to restore adequate levels of hygiene.
Works began in mid-March 2013 and consisted in demolishing the old concrete column for water tank, which had been built more than 10 years earlier and was no longer stable and the water tank was unusable. A new internal structure made of iron was then built. A week later while working on the toilets and showers building the construction team came across a lot of problems that have slowed down the works and pushed up the costs by 20%, which were however covered by the association. The building had been built years earlier with very poor materials and unskillfulness. In fact the external walls were not plastered and in addition to that the screed flooring was made with very little concrete. These two problems led to considerable infiltration of rainwater over time and therefore it was necessary to reconstruct the cement screed with welded mesh as well as plastering the exterior walls of the pavilion, and to reinforce the outer part of the foundation. Further delays in the works were due to the continuous rains in the month of April.
The new water tank is now already assuring a water reserve in case of emergency. Toilets and showers are being used and have regained standard levels of hygiene. In May works on septic tanks started in May and at the end of the month the majority of the activities was completed: the drainage system, the iron tank, the tiling of toilets and showers and part of the septic tanks. The last phase (completion of septic tanks) began in August and was completed at the End of October, 2013.
Now the children have running water when using toilets and showers. The new water tank is assuring a water reserve in case of emergency. Toilets and showers are being used and have regained standard levels of hygiene.
