1) Leveling the ground for our foundation
2) Cutting rebar for reinforcements on top and base slabs as well as vertical corner reinforcement for vaults. Wood was also cut for base slab's form at this stage of the process.
3) Arranging rebar and tying with wire to measured dimensions
4) Hammering together the form for the bottom slab, filling it with rocks to approximately half the height, then placing the rebar frame on top
5) Using the volcanoe method for mixing concrete (aggregate was added after water, cement, and sand were mixed)
6) Layering on concrete for bottom slab
7) Once dry enough (approximately a day), prefabricated blocks shipped in from Bluefields were stacked layer by layer while being cemented together. Rebar propped up at the corners. Note how two gaps were left in the back. These will provide access into the vaults. Separate concrete slabs with handle bars on them will be cemented into place with a 1" clearance that is to be filled in by paper or plastic bags and is chissled out at the time of removal.
8) Wooden planks were hammered into concrete to cover the tops of both chambers in order to provide a backing for the top slab's concrete form. Toilet holes made from sheets of zinc and nailed in around the outside into the planks. Rebar reinforcement was also used for this slab.
9) Top slab being filled in with concrete
10) Once base is completed, a wooden superstructure was built. This process took longer than expected so beware! We started out with a frame made of 2x4's and used planks placed in the horizontal direction. The corrugated Zinc was attached using roofing nails
11) The steps were (unfortunately) made after the concrete vault was created, as we were unsure at the time on how much concrete would be left over. In the future, the concrete steps would be taken into account when designing the base slab.
12) Fly ventilation was placed on the side. We had initially designed for the vent to be placed along the backwall which would have been designed to have access into both chambers, however lack of communication led to a modified design by the mason, where the top row of blocks in the divider is spaced approximately 1/2" between each block to allow for ventilation and fly passage from the vault that is not directly connected to the vent. We will see the effectiveness when we return to the area. Another issue we had was the fact that gray vent pipes were provided for us instead of white. This may end up having an effect on the number of flies able to be effectively removed from the latrine.
The end result. Due to a scarcity in toilet casts, the toilets for these latrines were unable to come in time. In addition to this, we also ran out of time for the assembly of the door. We anticipate receiving photos and updates from our onsite NGO affiliates, FUNCOS, who will inform us whether or not all has been completed. In the mean time, here is a photo of us and all those who helped (including the entire family):
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