Can you imagine not having basic sanitation available to you? Probably not! It is something we take for granted, isn't it? Human Concerns always does an international outreach for Lent - through the Lenten House at the church entrance. This year we are teaming up with Catholic Relief Services, with their ArborLoo latrine project.

The ArborLoo is a simple toilet costing between $5 and $8, that households can construct on their own. It is one of several components of ecological sanitation (Ecosan) - a revolutionary approach that views human excreta as resources to be utilized, rather than as wastes to be avoided. Consisting of a shallow pit and a simple privacy structure, the ArborLoo has become popular, in part, because the design suits various cultures.

The toilet is used by a household for one year and then the slab is removed, the pit is topped off with good topsoil, and a fruit tree seedling or other crop is planted in the topsoil. As the roots grow downward into the pit, the seedling takes up rich nutrients, which result in a very healthy tree that produces in abundance. In Ethiopia, local farmers have elected to make the pits smaller and use a toilet site for only about four months, so that they can speed up the planting of seedlings.

There is the Lenten House at the church entrance for your contribution, along with information about the program. How many latrines can we buy? If you have any questions, please contact Linda at 284-7288 or linda.gottlieb@sbcglobal.net. Thank you!