WASH in Schools

Children in developing countries face enormous health challenges. Chronic illness keeps them out of school and interferes with their ability to concentrate and learn while in class. Much of this disease burden is water-related and directly linked to inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene. With high youth populations, some of the greatest gains in the countries’ overall health can be made for the youth of the country.

Among the other problems that rural schools in developing countries face, most do not have access to sufficient quantities of safe drinking water supplies, or toilet facilities to meet the needs of their students. If a school does not provide adequate drinking water, then children must carry it from home in small plastic jugs, drink unsafe water if sources are available nearby, or not drink water during the day. The lack of private and secure latrines is an especially serious problem for girls in school and is a leading cause of female student absenteeism and dropouts. Even where latrines are available, students often have nowhere to wash their hands which exposes the entire student population to health risks through transmission of disease.

The Lifewater WASH in Schools program improves the environment of schools and promotes effective learning for children. It also helps the community. “A schoolchild educated to the benefits of sanitation and good hygiene behavior is a conduit for carrying those messages far beyond the school walls, bringing lasting improvement not only to his or her health and wellbeing, but also to that of the family and the wider community." The WASH in Schools program will help increase literacy in children, who will learn behavior change practices focusing on hand washing, safe water storage and latrine use and maintenance. Better health and education allows children to begin to break out of the poverty cycle, bringing their families, both present and future, along with them.