Field Test in Kampala, Uganda,
Eawag, Gates Foundation

After another funding approval, the project team put our functional model through its paces in various contexts: first at Makerere University, then in a community center in Kifumbira, an informal settlement, and finally with an extended family in Kisalosalo. Eawag interviewed over 400 people about the toilet system and compiled a comprehensive study based on their replies.

 

In Kampala, we visited a local factory that manufactures water tanks using rotational molding to determine whether the water treatment module could also be made locally with this technology. A workshop with artisanal metalworkers focused on producing the support structure and metal tanks.

 

A small solar panel installed on the roof provided power to operate the toilet. However, this device had to be guarded at night to prevent theft. We gradually became aware of the kind of stumbling blocks our project might encounter in the real world.