Brazil
Sanitary facilities for BR0592
Helping build sanitation facilities in Brazil for 381 children
Water & Sanitation
The Need
Compassion’s frontline church partner in Serra Talhada, Brazil, hosts programs and activities for 381 boys and girls three times a week. Every week, registered participants enjoy nourishing meals, grow their faith alongside caring mentors and develop strong relationships and life skills. Although the church is doing everything they can to support these children and youths, their current washroom facilities are inadequate, creating challenges for students and staff on program days.
The current washrooms include only two toilets—nowhere near adequate to serve 381 children. The washrooms are also unsanitary, poorly ventilated and mouldy. The two stalls are separated by only a curtain rather than a wall and locked doors, offering little privacy and protection for children, especially young girls. Poor sanitation and inadequate access to clean washrooms can put children at risk of contracting and spreading hygiene-related diseases. The long queues to use the facilities also impact program staff and children’s education, as the long wait times disrupt classroom activities.
Despite the best efforts of Compassion’s local church partner to improve the toilets, there’s just not enough space or resources to accommodate the long queue of waiting girls and boys. Our church partner in Serra Talhada, the Agapé Baptist Church, deeply desired to empower its beneficiaries with valuable hygiene practices and reliable sanitation facilities to protect them from recurrent infections so they can thrive, but they needed help to accomplish this goal.
Our Response
To provide children with access to safe and sanitary washrooms during program days, Compassion worked alongside our church partner at the Agapé Baptist Church in Serra Talhada, Brazil, to build three new washroom facilities at the BR0592 child and youth development centre: one for men, one for women and one that is wheelchair accessible.
As soon as this intervention received funding, the team sought quotes from local contractors and suppliers. The companies who could provide the best prices and quality of work and materials were selected. At the start of the construction phase, the team levelled the land and then excavated and poured the foundation. Reinforcement steel was added to the foundation to ensure the facilities were sturdy and structurally sound. After the foundation was completed, the team built the facility walls to provide participants with security and privacy.
Members of the church participated in the completion of the bathroom construction by volunteering their time and resources. A local architect known to the church helped plan and design the washroom layout. Masonry, roofing and finishes were installed and completed.
Staff members held sanitation and hygiene meetings for caregivers, where they learned about the intervention’s progress, the impact new washrooms will have on health and hygiene and how to practise good hygiene at home. When the new washrooms were built and functional, staff members taught the children and youths how to properly use toilet supports for young children, use the showers, use the urinals, safely dispose of toilet paper and wash their hands. Children also received hygiene kits, allowing them to practise good personal hygiene at home.
Activities
Construction: The construction team first excavated the building site and then poured the foundation including reinforced steel. Next, the walls were built, followed by masonry work, finishings and roofing.
Hygiene workshops: Children and caregivers attended hygiene workshops taught by program staff. Topics included personal hygiene, oral hygiene, disease prevention and healthy lifestyle habits. Staff demonstrated how to effectively brush teeth, floss and wash hands.
Hygiene kits: Children and youths were excited to receive their own hygiene kits, which contained soap, shampoo, cotton swabs, toothpaste and a toothbrush. With this gift, they will be able to apply what they learned during the health and hygiene workshops.
Sinks: New hand washing sinks located between the washrooms allow children to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating.
New washrooms: The new washroom facilities are clean, well-lit and properly ventilated. Each stall is private and there is a separate washroom for boys and for girls. Special supports were installed for younger children and a urinal was installed in the men’s bathroom, ensuring safety and accessibility for the participants.
Your Gift Provides...
Your gift equipped a local church partner in Serra Talhada, Brazil, to build new sanitation facilities to serve 381 children:
– Masonry
– Electrical installation
– Hydraulic installation
– Toilets and hand washing sinks
– Windows and doors
– Finishings
– Labour
– Hygiene kits (bath and brushing)
– Teaching materials
– Final report and translations
ReportA message from those your gift helped
Before this intervention, I didn’t really like going to the bathroom because the doors inside the stalls were just curtains. Sometimes, there were clogs in the toilet. Now, the bathrooms have new toilets, doors and a better structure. They are also very nice.
This intervention will provide better protection for everyone and a washroom with better structure.
Through this intervention, I learned to preserve the environment, that things can improve and that we can have better things.
I am grateful for the care and concern for the protection and care for each person, which has brought comfort to everyone.
ReportThank you for your generosity
Thanks to your generous support, 381 children in Serra Talhada, Brazil, now have access to safe, clean washrooms at their local Compassion centre. Before this intervention, staff at the centre were struggling to support all the needs of the children and youth they work so hard to serve. Without adequate washroom facilities, children were at high risk of contracting hygiene-related illnesses. Long queues to use the washroom were also interrupting class time and causing significant disruptions when children should be learning, playing and spending quality time with their mentors and peers.
Because of your generous gift, new clean and sanitary washrooms—one for boys, one for girls and one accessible for wheelchair users—have been built at the church facility. Now on program days, children no longer need to wait in long lines to use the washroom. With adequate hand washing sinks, participants can wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating, reducing the risk of spreading and contracting diseases. The new facilities also have stalls separated by walls and doors, giving more security, privacy and dignity to participants.
Thanks to hygiene and sanitation workshops, centre staff have already reported the difference this intervention has had on the life of participants and their families. Children and caregivers are practising better personal hygiene, such as regular hand washing and brushing their teeth. Students have also felt more welcome and comfortable during program days as the new facilities provide a safe and dignified space for their needs.
Your generosity has seen the construction of new washroom facilities for children, youths and staff at the BR0592 Compassion centre in Serra Talhada, Brazil, along with hygiene training for caregivers and children. Now, children, youths and staff have privacy when using the washroom facilities and they wash their hands after relieving themselves. Trained on good personal hygiene habits including regular bathing and dental hygiene, along with the tools to do so, children and families are also improving their health and well-being at home. This intervention has not only enhanced the experiences of participants at the centre but is also fostering a healthier, more supportive community, which will continue to impact children and families for years to come. Thank you for restoring health and dignity to children and youth in Brazil!
ReportA message from a centre director
Providing something of good quality to our participants, the impact is always positive. The new washroom facility and the wall, besides their beauty, showed the entire community the commitment we have to safety—in fact, it has also helped increase security at our centre. The bathrooms provide a proper and pleasant environment for students.
This intervention has positively impacted the church, the centre and the community by providing greater safety for participants. In addition, it provided an environment that supports good hygiene for participants, family members and church members. It also reinforced the importance of having a suitable place for this.
This intervention has also provided proper resources for teaching children and caregivers the importance of hygiene for a healthy life and demonstrated to participants that the church cares about everyone’s protection.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude because God has moved people to provide us with financial support, allowing us to offer our participants and church members a new suitable and safe washroom—the one we had was very precarious.