Designing User-Friendly Grids for the Gender-Specification of Rural, Semi-Urban, and Urban School Toilets in West Africa: Lessons from the Republic of Benin
Keywords:
Agroecology, Culture, Gender equity, Sanitation, School toilet number calculation grid, Republic of BeninAbstract
Gender equity, quality education, and sanitation in rural and urban areas are widely considered as development imperatives. However, while many countries of the world are already far with the gendering of their schools’ toilets, most others still tend to systematically construct the same number of toilet cabins for female and male students, often ignoring specific needs associated with biophysical differences and disabilities among the students. This poor gendering of school toilets prevailed in the Republic of Benin until 2013, when, within the framework of the Pluriannual Water and Sanitation Programme (PPEA phase 2) funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Cooperation through its Embassy in the Republic of Benin, the Directorate of Hygiene and Sanitation of the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with Water and Sanitation for Africa Agency, decided to launch a study for gender and disability specific toilets in primary and secondary schools. This original paper discusses the process towards the design of norms and grids for the calculation of toilet cabins and urinals needs of primary and secondary school students of rural, semi-urban, urban, Sahelian, Sudanian, lake, and coastal areas of the Republic of Benin. The study took place in four steps. The first step consisted of identifying key factors that affect the use of school toilets by students, especially female and disabled students. The second step consisted of observing and recording the use of school toilets by students, and building on those observations and records to estimate the number of toilet cabins and urinals required per agroecological and sociocultural area. The third step built on the results from the first and second steps to design simplified grids that allow sanitation and schools’ decision-makers to easily and quickly calculate the number of toilet cabins and urinals required for the target schools, per gender and disability. The fourth step consisted of building the capacities of potential users of the grids, for their relevant use. The findings indicate a variation of needs among primary and secondary schools, and the study zones, due to sociocultural and development differences. The grids have been in use in Benin since 2016 and it has easily helped to calculate gender-specific toilet needs in the study areas. After five years of use, their performance requires to be assessed for further adaptations. A further paper will report on the performance of these grids.
References
Ambassade des Pays-Bas (2012). Programme pluriannuel d'appui au secteur de l'eau et de l'assainissement phase II 2013-2016 (PPEA-II): Document de programme. Cotonou, Bénin.
Bichard, J. A., & Knight, G. (2011). Publicly accessible toilets: An inclusive design guide. Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design. https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/440/1/Toilet_LoRes.pdf
Clegbaza, G.M. (2010). Sanitation Sector Status and Gap Analysis: Benin. Global Sanitation Fund and Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council, Benin, 39p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/wsscc_sanitation_sector_statu s_benin.pdf
COWI-Afric Performances (2008). Mission de Suivi-Évaluation Externe Périodique no 2 du Programme pluriannuel d'appui au secteur Eau et Assainissement (PPEA). Rapport provisoire de Débriefing du 23 juin 2008, Bénin, 45p. https://gwppnebenin.org/deuxieme-mission-de-suivi-evaluationexterne
Department for Education and Skills (2007). Toilet in schools: Standards specifications, layouts and dimensions. Crown, Sherwood Park Annesley, Nottingham, 52p. https://www.schooltoilets.co.uk/sitedocs/Department-for-education-and-skills-SSLDtoilets-in-schools.pdf
Direction de l’Hygiène et de l’Assainissement de base (DHAB) (2010). Appui à la maîtrise d’ouvrage communale : Guide d’élaboration et de mise en œuvre du Plan d’Hygiène et d’Assainissement Communal. Programme Eau Potable–GTZ, Bénin, 99p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/mineau_bj_guide_plan_hygie ne_assainissement_communal_fiches_techniques.pdf
Direction de l’Hygiène et de l’Assainissement de base (DHAB) (2006). Document de promotion de l’hygiène et de l’assainissement (PHA), Bénin, 77p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/dhab_demarche_promotion_h ygiene_assainissement_benin.pdf
Drewko, A. (2007). Resource-oriented public toilets in developing countries: Ideas, design, operation and maintenance for Arba Minch, Ethiopia. Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, 148.
Eau-Hygiène-Assainissement (WASH) de l’UNICEF-Mali (2012). Promotion de l’hygiène en milieu scolaire : Guide pratique pour les ONG. UNICEF, DANIDA, Dubai-Cares, 71p. https://reliefweb.int/report/mali/promotion-del%E2%80%99hygi%C3%A8ne-en-milieu-scolaire-guide-pratiquepour-les-ong
Greed, C. (2004). A code of practice for public toilets in Britain. Proceedings of the World Toilet Summit, Beijing, China.
Health and Safety Executive (2011). Welfare at work: Guidance for employers on welfare provisions. UK, 4p. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg293.pdf
Human_Rights_Council (2011). Resolution 18/1 on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. UN, 5p. https://www.rightdocs.org/download/7076/
Keihas, L. (2013). L’hygiène menstruelle dans les écoles de deux pays francophones d’Afrique de l’Ouest : Burkina Faso et Niger, Etudes de cas. UNICEF, 79p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/unicef_l_hygiene_menstruelle _dans_les_ecoles_de_deux_pays_francophones_d_afrique_de_l_oues t_2013.pdf
Makanguile, M. (2010). Etude des conditions de diffusion des ouvrages d’assainissement autonome en milieu rural sahélien. EauVive, Mali, 84p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/eauvive_etude_diffusion_ouvr ages_assainissement_mali.pdf
Plante, P., & Soulie, M. (2006). Urologie. Cours, DCEM III, Marseille, 70p.
Restroom Association (2013). Guide to Better Public Toilet Design and Maintenance. Third Edition 2013, Singapore, 81p. https://hanswesterveld.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/guidebetterpubli ctoilet.pdf
Serede Kyansem, A.M. (2010). Guide du Maire pour la promotion de l’assainissement durable dans les communes : L’essentiel pour comprendre, mettre en œuvre, suivre et évaluer les programmes et projets communaux d’assainissement. CREPA, RCR, SEI-EcosanRes, Burkina Faso, 34p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/crepa_sei_guide_du_maire_po ur_la_promotion_de_l_assainissement_durable_dans_les_communes _2010.pdf
Serment, G., & Guys, J.M. (2005). Orientation diagnostique devant : Troubles de la miction (341). DCEM 3 – Module Pluridisciplinaire n° 13, Néphrologie – Urologie, Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, 18p. https://www.yumpu.com/fr/document/read/24865242/orientationdiagnostique-devant-troubles-de-la-miction-341
Sheikh, S. (2008). Public toilets in Delhi: an emphasis on the facilities for women in slum/resettlement areas (No. 192). CCS Working Paper. https://ccs.in/sites/default/files/2022- 10/Public%20Toilets%20in%20Delhi%20An%20Emphasis%20on% 20the%20Facilities%20for%20Women%20in%20Slum%20Resettle ment%20Areas.pdf
Sossou, P., & Agossou, G. (2005). Inventaire, typologie et description des pratiques liées aux divers usages de l’eau au Bénin, Rapport final. PNE-Bénin et Protos, 118p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/pne_snv_rapport_de_l_etude_ sur_l_inventaire_et_la_caracterisation_des_problematiques_gire_dan s_le_delta_de_l_oueme_2020.pdf
State of Florida Seal (2012). 2012 Florida Accessibility Code for Building construction. Florida, 234p. https://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/committees/accessibility/aac/Cha nges_to_Law/2012_Florida_Accessibility_Code_Final%20.pdf
Tonouhewa, A., & Fourn, E. (2009). Etude portant sur genre et gestion intégrée des ressources en eau au Bénin. DGEau et PNE, 226p.
US Department of Justice. (2009). Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, As Amended.
Vinel, V. (2008). Mémoires de sang: transmission et silences autour des menstrues (France urbaine). Errefe. La ricerca folklorica, 58, 79- 90. https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00864977/document
Water Aid Bangladesh (2006). Step by Step implementation guidelines for Public Toilet. Bangladesh, 33p.
Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (2013). Hommage à la femme : Comment une meilleure gestion de l'hygiène menstruelle conduit à une meilleure santé, plus de dignité et d’épanouissement professionnel. Conseil de concertation pour l’approvisionnement en eau et l’assainissement, Londres et Malaisie, 24p. https://www.pseau.org/outils/ouvrages/wsscc_hommage_a_la_femme _2013.pdf
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 ESI Preprints
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.