(updated on 10/5/2010) In 2009, Christie returned to the village and followed up the progress of the scheme. After visiting the villagers and having learned about their needs, Christie found out that installing a chup-pe (an independent toilet in Nepalese) in every house was among one of the most urgent needs due to the recent rise in the number of local visitors. Having a chup-pe in every house is also a major key to the solution of hygiene problems. After careful consideration with both villagers and Dambar, it has been decided that Future Village will start a new project called “one home one chup-pe” in the local village from this summer (2010) on.

The new project aims at providing an environment more conducive to both health and hygiene of the villagers and the village by building a toilet in every house. An independent toilet always comes with the houses/flats in our host countries. However, this is a luxury to most villagers in Nepal. Adults and kids discharge waste from their bodies usually among the bushes. According to the UNICEF, about half of the world population is still in lack of a hygienic environment for living. The filthy environment has become a breeding ground of diseases. Diarrhea alone causes a million children’s lives every year around the world, not including those who become underweight and malnourished. A visiting doctor has once told Christie that diarrhea is the most common health problem in the village, and children suffer more. It is hoped that excretion in every household can be more appropriately handled which can at the same time remedy the water pollution problem of the village.

Looking into the possibility of building a public toilet shared by several households, Christie found it rather impractical. As the village develops with the roads paved and widened, more visitors are coming to the village. This would probably bring problems if public toilets instead of independent toilet in every house were built. For example, the toilet bowl might get stuck easily and the cleaning would create a huge demand of human labour. The practicing caste system and gender concepts also stigmatize the use of public toilet. Therefore, we hope that the new fund-raising project can allow villagers from each household to afford their own toilet which can be designed and built by their own hands.

Details of building a chup-pe

‧ Cost: around HKD500 (~USD64) per chup-pe; the cost covers the bowl, wood and stones

‧ No. of households on list: 50-60

‧ Materials: local stone and wood as the base, supplemented by mud (which becomes concrete after mixing with stones)

‧ Labour: sponsored families will be responsible for their own design and construction

For more information, please email to: info@future-village-nepal.org