Rehabilitation Project
When it rains at Eblechia Primary School, the water collected by the school's two rain catchment tanks is gone within a day. When the water disappears, the 452 students must venture off school grounds to fetch from other sources: usually, a partially protected spring.
"Most of our playing time is utilized in fetching water, which I do not like," said 12-year-old student, Lorraine S, pictured above at the spring. "It is also hectic to carry books plus water to school every day."
The spring is located in the middle of a sugarcane plantation. To get there, students venture far from the school, outside of teachers' supervision, which can be dangerous for students (especially young girls). Then, to collect from the discharge pipe, students have to stand in the stagnant water. If students aren't careful, stagnant water can get into their collection jugs.
And, if all that wasn't enough, the students share the spring with approximately 1,500 others: community members, worshippers at the local church, and students from a neighboring school. This means students waste long hours waiting in lines at the spring.
Because the school kitchen relies on the water fetched by students for its cooking needs, the school's schedule is often interrupted.
"Most of the days, the meals are delayed because of lack of water," said John Ndege, the school's Head Teacher. "I have to carry my drinking water from home because the water at school is not safe for drinking. Most of [the] lesson time is being wasted by students, especially when it is after (lunch) break. I have to wait for the students to return from fetching water before I begin teaching."
In a region where rains only come part of the year and the only remaining source of water is far away, these students need their own well to return to learning and playing.
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 season.
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 hand-pump. Once finished, the school’s students and staff will use water from the well for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
The school and we 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 unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.
Handwashing Stations
The student health club will oversee two new handwashing stations we will provide and ensure 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
Two triple-door latrine blocks will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls, and three doors will serve the boys. These new latrines will have cement floors designed to be easy to use and clean. And with a new well 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 disease 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 various 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 home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and promote good hygiene practices within the school, including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up training 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.
We set up two handwashing stations outside the latrines and handed them over to the newly formed student health club. Health club members will teach other students how to wash their hands at the stations properly, fill the stations with water, and ensure that there is always a cleaning agent available.
