ATprojects gets top marks in EHP

By Antonia Mission
DWU journalism student
OXFAM International water adviser Andy Thompson from New Zealand and Highlands coordinator Stephanie Walters visited the National Appropriate Technology Centre (ATprojects) at Mt Gahavisuka in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, early this month.
ATprojects director Steve Layton said the visit was to discuss current and future projects as part of ATprojects water and sanitation (Watsan) programme in schools in Eastern Highlands and Central.
Watsan is one of the programmes ATprojects has been working on for a number of years.
The organisation has so far designed and distributed two different toilets under the sanitation programme.
The ATloo is installed in schools while the Round Loo is designed to be used by communities.
During this year alone local toilet makers have made 1,052 round loo toilet slabs, resulting in over 5,000 rural people now having good toilets.
Layton said this programme was helping rural people realise the importance of good sanitation and how it could affect their
lives.
The local NGO, with help from overseas donors, continues to bring awareness to communities and schools regarding health and hygiene, especially to do
with water and sanitation problems.
Water Aid – Australia and Oxfam New Zealand funded the work.
Thompson and Walters discussed the future collaboration with ATprojects and how they could help in implementing the projects using their combined resources.