EWB-GT: MALAWI PROJECT
ROLE
Technical Lead (2021-2022) / Project Lead (2022)
PROBLEM
Mpitilira primary school in Eastern Malawi lacked sufficient sanitation infrastructure to accommodate the growing school population, and was suffering from disease outbreaks due to open defecation.
SOLUTION
Designed and implemented ventilated double pit latrine blocks for the school alongside handwashing stations to accommodate the existing and future school population. Assessment, designing, construction, and quality control were conducted remotely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Completed fully remote sanitation infrastructure upgrade during COVID-19 pandemic..
Mpitilira primary school applied to Engineers Without Borders to improve their sanitation infrastructure, particularly with new latrines for students and staff. Needs assessment and design decisions were done through community meetings co-facilitated with partner organizations such as the Bless Bay Foundation and Freshwater Project International.
Researched latrine design and iterated features using a decision matrix and community feedback.
Our team researched common latrine features and created a features decision matrix to sort through latrine features to begin our optimal design. Multiple alternatives were provided for the community to provide feedback.
Did analysis of design parameters and conducted manual structural calculations with additional safety checks.
File below shows the engineering calculations performed to ensure the structural integrity of the latrines given the frequency of use, soil pressure, and additional environmental factors.
Used Fusion 360 and AutoCAD to design latrine in 3D and for dimensioned drawings.
Latrine components separately designed, tabulated for a bill-of-quantities, and drawn for use by contractors to construct the latrine components.
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Coordinated with contractors for materials acquisition, construction, and quality control of the latrines.
Our Latrines were built within 2 months of starting due to constant communication and quality control trips by our partner organizations, and my team monitored any progress remotely. Under my time, two student latrine blocks (8 toilets) were constructed, and the staff latrine block design was finalized.
