Khuder School Latrine Construction Project in Mongolia

from Clean Water and Sanitation

by World Vision Singapore

World Vision first began work in Mongolia in 1993 in response to a severely cold winter (known as “dzud”) and has since grown into the largest humanitarian organisation in the nation, with programmes extending to virtually every province in the country.

Selenge is one of Mongolia’s impoverished rural areas. Located in northeast Mongolia near the Russian border between the Orkhon and Selenge river basins and the mountains in the forest steppe regions, the area faces a harsh climate with extremely low winter temperatures (of up to -35°C and occasional flooding caused by snowmelt. 

Khuder School is located in Khuder soum which is a district located approximately 200 kilometres from the Selenge province town centre. The school was built in 1989 and is connected to a central heating system, however there are no latrines, washing or waste disposal facilities located within the school building.

Khuder School, where the proposed latrines and sanitation facilities are to be built.

In summer, the unhygienic conditions of the latrines make the toilets the perfect environment for the spread of diseases, especially with no handwashing facilities available. In winter, with temperatures averaging -30 °C, children walk to the outdoor latrines in the cold, are not just in danger of catching a cold but risk falling on the icy roads or slippery floorboards. 10% of the student population suffers from respiratory diseases due to the extreme cold. 

Male students have to cross the road to access the male pit latrines, which are about 100m away from the school.

The female latrines, located behind the school, have 6 cubicles.

A look inside one of the latrines.  In the small and cramped space, students may sometimes trip and fall into the space between the floorboards.

About 10% of the students in Khuder School suffer from diarrhoea regularly. Other common diseases they face are hepatitis A or dysentery, a bloody diarrhoea caused by a bacterial or parasitic infection.  Dysentery is spread through the consumption of food or water that has been contaminated by the faeces of an infected human carrier. The transmission is often caused by infected individuals who handle food with unwashed hands.

There is an urgent need to provide the children of this school with safe latrines equipped with proper sanitation and waste disposal systems.  This will have a direct impact on the health of the children, many of whom come from poor families who barely have the means to support themselves, let alone afford medical attention if their child falls ill.

With your support, World Vision aims to construct proper sanitation facilities to address the water, sanitation and hygiene needs of 600 students (aged between 6 – 18 years old), teachers and staff in Khuder School.  This project will include:

• Eight heated, gender-friendly toilet cubicles with flush
• Two urinals in the male toilets
• Sewage system for proper waste management
• Shared Handwashing facilities
• A water tank to provide a consistent water supply

 

Alongside this project, World Vision will work closely with the local health department and the school to conduct hygiene and sanitation workshops for both students and staff.

The tender has been called for the project and the construction will take 3 – 4months, starting in summer.

If you would like to contribute to this campaign with a cheque (instead of donating online through MyVision):

Kindly ensure that the cheque is crossed and made out to World Vision International. On the back of your cheque, please include the following details:

Khuder School Latrine Construction Project, Mongolia (MyVision)
- Full name
- Mobile number
- E-mail address
- Postal address (if you would like to receive a hard-copy receipt in the post)
- An indication of whether you would like your donation to be kept anonymous when the progress bar on this campaign page is updated with the value of your donation

Your cheque should be posted to:

Khuder School Latrine Construction Project, Mongolia (MyVision)
World Vision Singapore
10 Tannery Lane
#06-01
Singapore 347773

On behalf of the children of Khuder School, thank you for your generous contribution to help improve not just their learning environment, but more importantly, their health!