Hurricane Dorian - Update 4

Strictly speaking, I suppose that this isn't a Dorian update. However, on days when you feel like your wheels are spinning and you're not making progress it's nice to get some encouragement from previous work.

This week, in Indonesia, some toilets were opened:

Lt.Cols Lyn&Ced Hills, leaders of the #SalvationArmy in #Indonesia open new toilet blocks built for schools damaged by the earthquakes in #Sulawesi. All toilets have a ramp for children with mobility issues&are constructed according to #SPHEREstandards. @Legerdesheils @SpherePro pic.twitter.com/bFs2KAPSDU

— IHQ-ReliefDev (@TSA_Projects) October 29, 2019

I was the lead on the project discovery, research and development around 10-11 months ago. A lot of work went into these toilets that are going to support 16 schools. They are a big deal because not only do they have water (!), but they are accessible, they have change and cleaning facilities for girls and they have separate teacher's facilities for best child safe practice and teacher's morale. 

The toilets mean girls will go to school even if they are menstruating. They mean that kids will stay healthy because they can wash. They mean that kids are safe and teachers are supported. They mean that disabled kids can go to school. 

You may have guessed - I'm really proud of these toilets and so glad that our hard work last year has paid off. 

On a day like today, which I spent at a coordination meeting followed by training in a hot tent on how to use the new IOM and NEMA* reporting tools, stories like this are so good and uplifting. 

(*IOM are the International Office of Migration and NEMA are the Bahamian National Emergency Management Authority).