Final project report: Toilet and washing facilities

By: Linus, 1/8/26 9:38 PM

Project Status

The foundation serves between 70 and 90 babies, children, adolescents, and their mothers who live there as residents. Additionally, families gradually transition out of the home once they complete their residential process and achieve emotional, economic, and employment stability. The children home helps them find their own living space, and once they secure their new home, the foundation continues to support them for a few more months. On average, there are between 10 and 30 of these external beneficiaries. In other words, on average between 70 and 90 people bathe at the facilities every day, and between 80 and 120 people use the bathrooms, wash their hands, and brush their teeth daily.

Until June 2025, the house had four bathroom units to meet these needs. One unit was designated for adults who work at the foundation and three for beneficiaries. This situation required children to wake up as early as 4:30 a.m. to start their day, bathing according to their school and/or work schedules, and to stand in line to use the toilet, wash their hands, or brush their teeth. These lines lasted up to one hour.

Additionally, these bathrooms were designed for small families of 4 to 6 people, and being used by more than 70 people caused plumbing issues that required the plumber to come regularly to keep the pipes clear.

With our the completion of our project, we were able to build three additional bathroom units, significantly improving the quality of life of our beneficiaries. Today, we have five different spaces operating simultaneously, allowing beneficiaries to bathe more quickly and comfortably. Furthermore, because these are new spaces, the plumbing installed is suitable for institutional use, which so far has eliminated the need for plumber visits. We are confident that the number of such interventions will continue to decrease.

Below, we provide a photographic record of the transformation of the bathroom services at Fundación Ciudad de Dios Zoe.

PREPARATION OF THE SPACE

The bathrooms are located in the central external area of the house, which we call the cabin, situated between the two houses. This allows beneficiaries in both houses to use them and, most importantly, prevents them from having to go up to the bedrooms during the day to use the toilet or wash their hands.

The space designated for the bathrooms was part of the internal patio, which is also the area most frequently used by children during the day. It was an open space with grass, and preparation started from scratch: the grass and soil were removed, and a concrete slab was poured with all the plumbing installed using 1-inch piping instead of ½-inch, as in the old house, allowing for better water flow in and out.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE SLAB AND PREFABRICATED STRUCTURE COMPONENTS

The slab was built at the Home, and at the same time the casting of the structure and prefabricated components that make up the three bathroom spaces was carried out. Frames, doors, and roofing for the space were purchased.

ASSEMBLY OF WALLS, ROOFS, AND DOORS OF THE BATHROOMS

After 15 days, assembly of the walls, roofs, and doors of the bathrooms began, resulting in the basic shell of the three bathroom spaces.

INSTALLATION OF TILES, TOILETS, SINKS, AND SHOWERS

The bathroom fixtures, tiles, and showers were purchased to begin the finishing work. During this process, it was necessary to change the first supplier due to delays and noncompliance.

Over the following month and a half, the tiles, toilets, showers, and sinks were installed. Finally, shower curtain rods, trash bins, curtains, and toilet paper and towel dispensers were purchased.

The bathroom locks were adapted so they could be locked from both inside and outside.

During the construction process, one additional local donors committed to installing hot water for one of the bathrooms. This process is currently underway and will make bathing easier for the youngest children, who are the only ones who bathe with hot water due to the foundation’s utility costs. Previously, this was done by heating water on the stove and carrying it up to tubs to be mixed. Now, it will be provided directly in this bathroom.