Report - Nkatabay

TWO DAYS IN NKATA BAY

As Mahatma Gandhi once said “This planet can provide for human need, but not for human greed�. In fact, due to our current competitive system we are depleting all resources from our Planet Earth, which has been affecting the water, air, food, shelter, soil and wildlife, not looking for the drastic side effects that comes attached with that. We must re-think our incomplete concept of human life and evolve to a selfsufficient way of living that is the system itself.

We want to be part of the change, to create and live in a society where human needs coexist in delicate balance with Nature.

We want to take care of our planet, of our people and of our future generations. We want to learn more and more to contribute as much as we can, there are so many things that we are willing to study and to discover in our life journey. Things like bioconstruction, how to separate and test the clay, silt, sand and other elements that are mixed in the soil, which materials we should use to build a sustainable eco-home that works with Nature. Things like the mysteries of natural healing medicine. Things like environmental art, renewable energy systems, organic food production, social economics, bioregionalism, eco-restoration and conservation, cultural and spiritual diversity and much more.

So we decided to check an ecological and communitarian development project that we heard about in Nkhata Bay.This project was in a form of ecovillage, exploring sustainable lifestyles not only in environmental but also in social, economic and spiritual terms.

The place was just in front of the Lake. Beautiful Lake Malawi it seems an ocean, what an amazing view, we just needed to walk 10 meters and we were inside the Lake where we could swim and do snorkeling to track the colorful species of fishes that are unique in that place of the world.

They run a preschool and primary school where we found children with an astonishing command of English for that age. Nearby the school, a kind of tree house was the playground where the students enjoy their free time.

Alongside the pathway, a simple gym rested under the shadows of a mkuyu tree, a wild fig. The gym was built from local resources.

A tiny garden was the home of a variety of herbs, planted in distinct patterns.

We could see that the ecovillage, Butterfly, was close to surrounded communities, supporting people with disabilities in their projects by encouraging them to make crafts like dream catchers, developing and stimulating Women’s groups by teaching them how to make, for instance, homemade peanut butter, promoting local artists through concerts and drumming workshops.

Houses were made through bioconstruction, earth architecture that valorizes symmetry, geometry and natural elements.

The materials used were wood, bamboo, stones, mud, clay, tyres, ceramics and bottles. The recycling of materials is a fundamental part of ecovillages since it proves that these kind of materials or whatever other things that the imagination suggests are also ways to design a home.

The showers were in the form of spiral reminding the return to origin in Nature and the toilets were environmentally friendly: dry ecological toilets.

DRY ECOLOGICAL TOILET

These toilets don’t require water. Using this system, a person saves a day the same quantity of water needed for a human to drink every day during more than 40 years (2 liters a day).

Moreover, it enriches the soil: by transforming the feces and urine of one family that produces 500 litres of organic compost and 5000 litre of natural fertilizer per year.

Composting toilets like these take work to maintain. But when used properly, they are a great way for communities without a lot of space to manage their human waste, and even make a valuable product from it.

ADVANTAGES

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Saves water Doesn’t pollute the water Hygienic Easy to build and to make maintenance Doesn’t require a big space Can be installed both inside or outside home Doesn’t require drainage

TO USE AND MAINTAIN THIS TOILET 

Before using, put a layer of dry leaves or straw in the bucket. This will help keep the bucket clean.

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Add a handful of soil mixed with ashes or dry leaves to the bucket after every use. This reduces smells and helps break down the feces. Keep liquids, including urine, out of the bucket. If the bucket contents are very wet, add more soil or ash.

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The urine will flow through the tube to be collected in a container. The urine can be mixed with water and used as fertilizer. Use 3 parts water to 1 part urine and add to plants up to 3 times a week.

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When the bucket is filled with feces (about 2 weeks for a family of 5) empty it into a large container with a lid. This is where the waste will be stored. When this container is full, store it for 1 year (in a sunny place, if possible) until the waste has turned into compost. After 1 year, the compost can be added to fields, gardens, or potted plants. A family may need several large containers to store all the waste.

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After each time you empty the bucket, clean it with water mixed with chlorine to kill the germs.

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When the toilet is not in use, close the lid of the box. This will reduce smell.