Every day the 747 students of Emasera Community Primary School carry water from home to provide the needed drinking, cooking, and cleaning water for the school.
The search for water makes them arrive late and tired, affecting their lesson time and ability to learn.
"I wasted a lot of my precious time that was meant for studies to search for water, and as we know, time wasted can never be recovered. So I will be forced to work extra hard to pass my exams," said Dominic, a 14-year-old student.
Being that they bring water from home, knowing the exact source is difficult. Some students said they harvested rainwater during the rainy season, and during the dry season, they use hand-dug wells that a few community members have. The water collected often is not clean and has a bad smell at times leading to students being absent because of sicknesses.
"Personally, I can't drink the school water because I easily get effects, and we have some students with similar issues. I prefer buying bottled water, and if I forget to buy some, I will go the whole day without water, which health-wise is bad," said Deputy Headteacher Everylne Wandago.
The sanitation facilities of the school also need improvement. Towards the end of last year, the school was issued a closure notice by the Ministry of Health due to insufficient sanitation facilities. They have made temporary fixes, but the latrines we will build and training on hygiene and sanitation matters will be helpful.
What We Can Do:
New Well
We conducted a hydrogeological survey at this school and the results indicated the water table beneath it is an ideal candidate for a borehole well. Due to a borehole well's unique ability to tap into a safe, year-round water column, it will be poised to serve all of the water needs for this school's large population, even through the dry months.
The school will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. They will also provide housing and meals for the work team, in addition to providing local laborers. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans and drilling professionals, tools, hardware, and the hand-pump. Once finished, water from the well will then be used by the school’s students and staff for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
Handwashing Stations
The student health club will oversee the two new handwashing stations we will provide, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The club leaders will fill the handwashing stations with water daily and make sure they are always supplied with a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.
VIP Latrines
We will construct two triple-door latrine blocks using local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls and three doors will serve the boys. All of these new latrines will have cement floors that are designed to be easy to use and to clean. And with a borehole right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.
Training on Health, Hygiene, and More
We will hold a one-day intensive training session with students, teachers, and parents. This training will cover a wide range of topics including COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention; personal and environmental hygiene; and the operation and maintenance of the borehole, latrines, and handwashing stations. There will be a special emphasis on handwashing.
Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train, including participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, and asset-based community development. We will initiate a student health club, which will prepare students to lead other pupils into healthy habits at school and at home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions, and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good hygiene practices within the school including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.
We and the school strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve standards at this school, which will help lead to better student academic performance and will help unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.