This summer,
I had the opportunity to join Dar Si Hmad’s work on water and sanitation in the
Ait Baamrane region in Southwest Morocco.
As an Environmental Engineering student, I gained valuable technical
experience, but further, I grew greatly in my understanding of key elements in
sustainable development. I was tasked with designing a pilot Ecological Sanitation
(EcoSan) project at the fog net project.
EcoSan centers on the principle that waste streams can be resources if
we handle them properly. Many
development agencies are adopting EcoSan for their sanitation projects,
particularly in places with no human waste management and a need for soil
improvements. In short, the toilet
designed here would separate the feces and urine, allow the feces to compost,
and produce two valuable resources – compost and nutrient-rich urine fertilizer
(both free of pathogens). This concept
excites many of us, with its environmental sustainability and sanitation
improvements. However, expanding this
project to the nearby communities will pose a great obstacle. We had the opportunity to conduct surveys
with some locals, and the attitude was a resounding “ew”. With that being said, Dar Si Hmad’s
commitment to education and environmental stewardship provides a valuable
resource for promoting technology. I
hope that the pilot EcoSan project can be used as a demonstration for us and
for the community. As I’ve learned
throughout my education, learning by doing is powerful.
I
want to close with a personal lesson from this experience: addressing cultural
barriers. I was by any standard an
outsider during my stay in Morocco, but the warm-heartedness of the people there
slowly broke down unnecessary
barriers I had put around myself. I was
blessed with amazing friends in Dar Si Hmad who taught me about their culture and
themselves, and provided necessary friendship while there. I formed meaningful connections with people
across huge language barriers. I
witnessed first-hand the miracle of human connection. As I stepped out of my own comfort zone and
into the lives of those around me, I found understanding and humility as a key
to peace between people and shared joy among people.
--Jeanette Neethling, Summer 2014
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