Mt. Airy Septic and Indoor Bathroom

Location: Mt. Airy Community, Bluefields, Westmoreland, Jamaica

After 85 years of living in the same place, the elderly homeowner finally has an indoor bathroom, complete with a toilet, shower and sink. Prior to this new construction, she used a pit toilet outhouse, which was also utilized by many in the community.

Part of the issue with pit toilets is that the waste directly flows into the ground, which causes harmful bacteria to filter into the groundwater. There is a major effort to clean the contaminated water in the community, and so we opted to fund a new septic tank for this bathroom – the FIRST in the Mt. Airy community!

Thanks to multiple funding partners of this project, when the Jah Works team arrived, the concrete block walls and foundation had already been built. We purchased enough materials to complete the roof and septic system, along with adding a window, door, toilet, sink and shower.

>>> Click here to see how the project started!

Many in the community volunteered their time and effort to complete the bathroom, which included digging a 7′ hole into the dirt and limestone, to bury the septic tank.

This project was funded in partnership between Jah Works, Inc., Reliable Adventures Jamaica, and the Bluefields People’s Community Association. Although usable as-is, funding continues to be sourced to complete a rainwater catchment system to bring water into the home (including kitchen and bathroom) and to provide for the final touches for this bathroom.

(UPDATE: We have since funded and installed a rainwater catchment system!)

Jah Works Project Funding Total: $1,500 USD