Giving Update: Shina Primary School

The lives of students and staff at Shina Primary School have really changed since the installation of their rain tank last year.

They now have access to clean and safe water for drinking compared to other years when they used to fetch water from off-campus at either a faraway spring or open and dirtier sources. The safety of the water students fetched was often compromised anyway because the containers they used to fetch it were not clean.

Today, all that has changed.

The pupils now have enough time to study because they are no longer wasting their time searching for water.

"The biggest changes that have happened is that pupils are now time managers as compared to other years when they wasted much of their time going to the spring to fetch water. The pupils have enough time to study without interfering with the school teaching programs," said teacher Mr. George Ambani.

Fidelis (right) with another student at the rain tank

Fidelis Wisamulitsa is a 12-year-old student at Shina Primary School who shared with us the myriad ways the WaSH projects at her school have changed the very nature of her school day.

"Cleanliness has improved [since] we now have enough water for using in our daily activities. Absenteeism has reduced compared to other years when many pupils were always away seeking medication [for water-related illnesses]. Pupils carry only books [to school now], [unlike] other years when they used to carry books and water in jerrycans from home. Performance has also improved since there is no time wastage."

Mr. George Ambani, Field Officer Rose Serete, and students at the rain tank