The availability of a working toilet is close to the heart of anyone who has backpacked around the developing world, but there are more serious beniefits to having a clean and private place to go to the loo. 

Today is World Toilet Day.  Not as romantic as Valentine’s Day nor as fun-filled as St Patrick’s perhaps, but much more important. 

Laying the first bricks of the eco latrines was a very exciting moment.  

The first few weeks of our placement had been spent in preparation. We had workshops and training, surveyed families in the village of El Pochote and gave presentations to the community. Whilst this was all necessary, we were itching to start construction, and the Master of Work found a very eager group of volunteers when he came to show us how it was done. 

Dan Hitchins-Samson has made a film about his ICS team's experience building 30 eco latrines in El Pochote, Nicaragua this summer.

Watch the work in progress and hear from UK and in-country volunteers about how the eco latrines will benefit the rural community, and about their experience of being involved in the project.