Giving Update: Malimili Secondary School

A little over a year since the implementation of the WaSH projects at Malimili Secondary School, on a recent visit we saw how the projects have already positively impacted the school community. Malimili Secondary is currently attracting a lot of attention, turning it into a center for academic excellence. This has led to high student enrollment each term. Accessing clean and safe water has reduced the rate at which students were going home for treatment, therefore absenteeism due to waterborne illnesses is in the past.

All of these positive changes are attributed to the new water and sanitation projects at the school.

"The WaSH project came [at] the right time, when all our hopes of ever accessing clean and safe water [and] enjoying better standards of hygiene and sanitation were almost gone," said Sanitation Teacher Mrs. Getride Chemayo.

"The implementation of the project has made us shine and become an attraction center for academic excellence. Schools which used to look down on us and consider [us] as failures are now looking [up to] us and conducting exchange programs with us. The ability to access clean and safe water for consumption has really resulted [in] good health [for] our students and now the absenteeism rates have drastically reduced, [driving] better academic performance...may God bless you all!"

Mr. Alan Amuchisi, the sanitation teacher who oversees the students' health club, was very pleased to sit down with us and share his perspective on the projects.

"From a teacher’s perspective, I’d like to give some of the advantages that we’ve enjoyed since the implementing of the project in the school that has actually aided in having sufficient water for use. One, it’s been so hard previously to actually do the cleaning in the school. So, over the years we’ve been sending students to fetch water down the stream which is around 3-4 kilometers away, and you know this being a mixed school it’s also very dangerous to send a boy and a girl out there," he said.

Now, the school finds they typically have enough water to do their cleaning, in addition to drinking, cooking, and washing dishes with it, without sending students off-campus for water.

"A learner also needs time to be in class," said Alan, explaining that students used to get in trouble on purpose to skip class, knowing that their punishment would be getting sent to the river to fetch water.

"Now, it is not so easy," he said.

Both students and teachers are finding the benefits of more time spent in class. "The implementation of this project in our school has positively impacted my academics," shared one student.

"I used to appear mostly on the list of absenteeism due to health issues that were related to [the] consumption of dirty and unsafe water. Poor sanitation contributed...also. I was performing so poorly until the arrival of [the] WaSH projects. I am glad that my performance as we speak is progressing to my dream grade A."

The water and sanitation projects have turned things around for the better in this school. The environment they have created with these new projects makes anyone visiting the school feel comfortable and free to interact and stay in the school as much as possible. The bright faces, smiles, and beautiful laughter depicted satisfaction and contentment all around.

"May God sustain you all," said the student.