Rehabilitation Project
The 605 students of Irukose Primary School in Western Kenya spend much of their time collecting water from a nearby river for drinking, cleaning classrooms, and use in the school kitchen rather than concentrating on their studies.
The water crisis has impacted the school routine negatively and delays students learning activities affecting their performance.
Fetching water from the river is a dangerous task for students. The river is large and home to various kinds of animals. Teachers regularly accompany students so they can be sure they remain safe and make it back to school.
Elly L. (13) shares his experience: “It really affects me negatively as it is very dangerous to fetch water from the river. Sometimes there are very dangerous animals in the river. More so, it has really affected my academics because most of the time, I have to go to the stream to bring water for cleaning in the school, drinking, and cooking. Much time is being spent collecting water.”
The water is not safe for drinking due to contamination, resulting in rampant cases of waterborne diseases like typhoid and dysentery. These illnesses make students miss lessons while they spend their time seeking medical treatment and medication.
Teacher Eddah Sagah said, “It (lacking water) impacts me negatively as I have to send the learners to the river most of the time. It really affects me hitting my target and wastage of time when [it] comes to class time. Most learners are not concentrating in class which leads to poor performance, which affects me personally as a teacher. It also brings a lot of worries when the learners have gone to the river because it is very dangerous.”
The proposed borehole well will provide learners with safe water, making waterborne diseases a thing of the past.
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
There is currently nowhere for students to wash their hands after using the latrines or before eating lunch, let alone the water to do so.
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, COVID-19, 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.
