Call for Designs of Low Cost Household Toilet Adapted for the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam

Save the Children, the world’s largest independent organization for children, delivers immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives all over the world.

Save the Children (SC) works to promote every child’s rights to survival, protection, participation and development as set forth in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The current programme focuses on the following core sectors: Health and Nutrition; HIV/AIDS prevention; Care and support; Education; Child protection; Child-focused emergency preparedness and response; Climate change adaptation; and the Child rights agenda, including Civil society development, Economic opportunities, Child poverty Research, and Advocacy for child-friendly development policy and practice.

A LOW COST HOUSEHOLD TOILET FOR A FLOODED PRONE AREA

Being flooded yearly, unsafe defecation practices, unaffordable safe toilet model are the common sanitation challenges in the Mekong Delta. Statistically, the region has amongst the lowest coverage of safe toilets in Vietnam. For example, in Dong Thap Province in the Mekong delta, less than 43% of households have access to latrines.

This problem is widely recognized by national bodies and NGOs, and increased sanitation coverage forms a component of the government’s National Target Programme 3. In order to support the government’s shift away from subsidy-driven sanitation programmes to demand-driven programmes, in the framework of project “Mekong Delta Sanitation Challenges” sponsored by HSBC bank, Save The

Children associated with Women’s Union of Dong Thap province would like to call for proposals on a flood-safe and sustainable toilet model that is affordable for household in The Mekong Delta.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR

A flood-safe, sustainable and affordable toilet model at household scale.

General requirements

- Flood-safe:

• The toilet will be built in a flood prone area, therefore, the toilet should be completely sealed to avoid the fecal contamination and bad odors to surrounding environment

- Sustainable:

• Long lasting duration in flooded condition (3-4 months flooded yearly)
• Utilization of local materials

- Affordable

• Affordable price, on the average of 100 US$. This cost should be AT LEAST cover the main septic tank and the squat. The aim is to provide an affordable core component of the toilet. Remained parts (wall, roof, doors, etc) could be tailored by user upon their financial capacity.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

A toilet proposal will be scored based on the following criteria

1.Clear design and function description
2.Easy and feasible construction method
3.Utilization of local materials
4.Capital cost
5.Innovation
6.Bonus points will be given to a proposal indicating in detail
- The construction plan for household
- Recommendation for alternative materials (if any)

THE AWARD

3 Proposals will be selected for final review in February 2014

The finalist will present their design concept to the judging panel in the beginning of March 2014

The winning proposal will implement the pilot model in Mekong Delta from March – April 2014, including the following activities

• Field visit in Mekong Delta
• Training for builders/households who will be selected for Pilot model
• Construction monitoring

Up to 3,000 US$ will be rewarded to the winning proposal

HOW TO APPLY

A proposal includes the following documents

• The application form is available on the website http://savethechildrenvietnam.wordpress.com
• Drawing design, BOQ, Cost Estimation and other related documents (if any)

The proposal should be completed in English (Preferable)/Vietnamese, signed and scanned into PDF format and sent to via post/email with the subject TOILET DESIGN CONTEST FOR MEKONG DELTA

DEADLINE

Application should be sent before 5PM (GMT+7) 15th February 2014 via post or email

Post Address: No.4, Tran Quy Khoach, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Email Address: [email protected]