The Catholic primary school "Notre Dame" in Banka, Diocese of Bafang, had just two toilet stalls for around 700 children. We built a new sanitation facility on the Ventilated Improved Pit principle — no water connection needed, low maintenance, built to last.
The private primary school Notre Dame in Banka has 12 classes of around 60 pupils each, plus a four-stage kindergarten — about 690 children in total. Since the collapse of coffee and cocoa prices in the late 1980s, the Cameroonian government has drastically cut subsidies to private schools. The result: dilapidated buildings, overcrowded classes, staff shortages — and a sanitation facility with just two toilet stalls for 700 children. Long waits, poor hygiene, boys forced to relieve themselves outdoors.
Initial talks about financing began back in 2019. From the start, one thing was clear: the solution had to be sustainable, not just another structure that would fall apart within a few years.
In March 2022, a civil engineer from Banka's municipal building office brought in the decisive concept: a Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine — four cabins with two pits each, and an outdoor washbasin. Once one pit is full, it is sealed and the second used, while microorganisms break the first down into compost. An air-intake and exhaust system keeps the cabins permanently odor-free.
After interior finishing (floors, plastering, sanitary fittings) and exterior completion (plaster, roof, doors, paint), an independent civil engineer carried out the final inspection in 2023. Immediately afterward, a short information campaign took place at the school — children and teachers were trained in basic hygiene rules such as regular handwashing. The handover to the school leadership took place in the schoolyard, with representatives from the school, Africa Solidarity, and local authorities.
The toilet construction was made possible by the Catholic parish Zu den Heiligen Aposteln — Freundeskreis eine Welt from Erlangen. A church-dedication collection and a Sunday reception raised €468.02. At Dechsendorf primary school, Ursi Meissner took up the topic as part of a school project on how children live around the world — the children additionally collected €165.10 for the project during the Christmas season.
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