A Lighthearted Bowel Movement

My name is Nabeel, Toilet Nerd and cofounder of the Manavta Project. Martin, our pretty boy Toilet Enthusiast and I, are ecstatic about this new website and hope our fans will take some time to engage with us on our journey. To start, I figure I should talk about what brought us here in the first place. Poo.

Most of the time, it's pretty awkward talking about poop. The very thought of it is repulsive in some cultures (including my own). Open defecation isn’t something we casually talk over wine– sorry ladies. There exists a poo taboo. People shy away from talking about this stinky issue.

I recently did a lecture at the University of Alberta for some fellow students and there arose some interesting questions. People loved the idea of how poop and urine is so useful for agriculture. In light of this, one particular student expressed to me how she couldn’t grapple with the idea that people defecated out in the open – she was mortified. It's a fact that most of the human species on this planet have nowhere to sh*t (almost 2.5 BILLION people!). For those reading this blog, we have all benefited from modern sanitation and the thought of wiping yourself bare in the middle of a forest is not ideal.

Every single day, young girls are subject to rape and harassment - many of them just looking for a safe toilet to use in the middle of the night. This issue is even more complex when they reach the age of puberty, as girls and women have nowhere to change pads when they're menstruating.

Especially since the United Nations illustrious MDG targets are failing to be met, we are seeing some organizations step up to the plate on these issues.. The hardest hit countries such as India are hot markets for private institutions, who basically do what the government should be doing. I am keen to see how Modi's push for a ‘Toilets before Temples’ campaign in India plays out. 

At Manavta we are all about keeping the idea of poop light. We want to embrace this often-messy bodily function and shed some light on how lucky we are in the western world.  Next time you decide to destroy your bathroom's aroma, consider yourself lucky and be thankful that you are cleaning yourself with two-ply (or three-ply if you're really living the dream) and not a leaf or a dirty rag. 

Thanks for the Support

Thanks for your interest in what we’re doing! We figure that our first post should clearly establish what we do and why we do it.

Our project began in Nepal, where two-thirds of the population still relies on open defecation. Wherever we are working, we partner with the community, local NGOs and public officials to build environmentally sustainable toilets at rural schools.

We build our toilets at schools because children are the most affected by the lack of sanitation facilities. UNICEF estimates that 443 million school days are lost each year due to sanitation-related diseases. Our primary goal is to bring this number down! Our work doesn’t end when the toilet is finished. Education is at the heart of our model. Without classroom teaching of good sanitation practices, the toilets are entirely useless.

Our toilets are awesome. They employ “Urine Diversion”, which really just means that the liquid waste is filtered into a natural fertilizer. This saves local farmers money and keeps them from using harmful chemicals on their crops. Most importantly, this further incentivizes use of our toilets, keeping open defecation to a minimum. Two birds with one stone!

Our pilot project in Lauke Village, Nuwakot District was an incredible learning experience. We are committed to learn as much as possible before our next project. This is where you guys come in! We are always looking for motivated individuals who want to further our cause and are up for an adventure. Don’t hesitate to contact us with personal insights or any questions you might have!

To keep up to date with our upcoming projects and to help spread the word, follow us on Facebook!

Thanks for your support,

Manavta