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Clean toilets, clean environment

The toilet unit for the students. (c) Join For Water - NRDI

Uganda – When there is no clean toilet at school and pupils and teachers do their needs in the open, it is not surprising that people get sick and the nearby river becomes polluted. In a primary school, Join For Water and its partner NRDI were able to turn this situation around.

BEFORE

In Kiwuumu, a village in Kabarole district, there is a primary school Mount Ghesi. The school has just under 500 pupils aged between 5 and 13: 231 girls and 245 boys. There are 15 teachers in total, including six women.

Pupils and teachers together had to make do with 1 latrine. Physically challenged children had no access and girls had no privacy or wash up during their periods.

Because of this lack of sanitation, the school suffered the typical consequences: few students, high rate of school dropout , sick children with water borne diseases, such as diarrhoea…. And additional consequence: girls who left school early were also more likely to end up in marriage at a very young age. Nearby, the situation caused pollution, including of the water and tributaries of the Mpanga river, because in the absence of a toilet, you do have to do your need in the open air.

The activities

After a needs assessment, the works could start. Join For Water and its partner NRDI built a sanitary block with EcoSan latrines and a hand-washing area. The teachers now have a two stance EcoSan-toilet. And the girls have a separate washroom where they can freshen up.

The existing 10,000-litre capacity rain water harvesting tank has been renovated. The water serves, among other things, to wash your hands.

EcoSan latrines are ideal in this context: urine and faeces are collected separately, the solid matter goes into a bin where it is supplemented with ash or straw for composting. After a few months, this can serve as manure on fields.

The choice of EcoSan latrines here also has to do with the geographical location of the school. It is embedded by hard rocks and one can’t excavate beyond one meter.

However, infrastructure alone is not enough; good habits are equally important. Therefore, the students received several trainings on the use and maintenance of latrines and washrooms. A sanitation club was also set up and is responsible for maintenance and raising awareness among the other pupils. That club can count on further support from Join For Water.

The compost from the toilets is used as manure in the school’s demonstration gardens, as well as by communities in their coffee farms.

AFTER

The results of these activities go beyond the immediate visible effects. Hygiene and sanitary comfort improved, but we also see significant longer-term effects:

  • Water sources near the school are better protected from pollution by human waste.
  • The overall hygiene situation in and around the school improved.
  • Disease outbreaks due to contaminated water or contact with infected faeces are prevented.
  • Families of schoolchildren adopt good hygiene habits.
  • Families have been encouraged to also get an EcoSan latrine built.
  • Schoolgirls feel more comfortable and stay away from school less when they have their period.

The students are very enthusiastic about the project and really appreciate the new facilities. Adults are also very satisfied, and they expect the school as a whole to benefit, with more pupils and fewer students dropping out.

By placing partial responsibility wit the students, the sustainability of the interventions is ensured.

A sustainability plan has also been drawn up to monitor the situation. And hopefully, the project will be replicated in other schools.

 

More on NRDI

  • With the financial support of the Fondation Roi Baudouin – Fonds Elisabeth et Amélie
  • With the support of Province of Vlaams-Brabant

Provincie Vlaams Brabant

 

(c) Join For Water and NRDI

 

 

UGANDA MOUNT GHESI PRIMARY SCHOOL