Rehabilitation Project
Students attending George Khaniri Kaptisi Mixed Secondary School arrive at 6am for their morning revisions. Some of them report to school on empty stomachs, waiting for tea break which is served at 10am. The black tea they drink can take a small edge off their hunger. At lunch time, everyone rushes to the dining hall to soothe their hunger pangs with a mixture of beans and maize. Students leave at 6pm after cleaning their classrooms. Some of them have to walk a long distance to get back home.
Talking to some of the girls here, we found out that they really wish their school would offer a boarding option. They say that if they could stay the school, they'd have enough time to study.
Water Situation
The school and the community worked together to get a 10,000-liter plastic tank installed on school grounds. The plan was that water would be pumped up from a borehole or spring, and the county government would sponsor the equipment needed. Unfortunately, the funds did not come through. School administration told us that they'll bring the plastic tank down from its stand to use as supplementary water storage.
The school recently dug a well on school grounds. They've tied a bucket to rope used to fetch the water inside.
There's no water in this well during the driest months of the year. At this time, students need to take their containers out into the surrounding community to find water. Students and staff get sick during these times of water scarcity, as they can't ascertain the quality of water that students retrieve. Stomachaches and diarrhea keep students away from school - and if they have the money to get to a health clinic, they'll often find out they're suffering from typhoid.
Sanitation Situation
There are a few blocks of pit latrines, but most of them are old and almost full. There are no hand-washing stations available for students to clean up after using the latrine or before taking tea and lunch.
Despite a lack of water here, students are doing their best to keep their area clean. Classrooms are swept on a daily basis and the latrines are surprisingly clean.
Headmistress Getrude Musumba said, "Our students are exposed to waterborne diseases, diarrhea and stomachache. This is attributed to the water crisis in school and the lack of hand-washing facilities. Most of them do not understand the necessity of washing their hands after visiting the toilets."
Here’s what we plan to do about it.
You make this possible. Thank You for joining us in providing clean water, sanitation facilities, and important health information for these students and teachers.
Hygiene and Sanitation Training and Hand-Washing Stations
Training will be held for two days. The facilitator will use PHAST (participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation), ABCD (asset-based community development), CTC (child to child), lectures, group discussions, and handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good practices within the school.
The CTC method will prepare students to lead other students into healthy habits, as well as kickstart a CTC club for the school. This CTC club will oversee the new facilities, such as hand-washing stations, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The two hand-washing stations will be delivered to the school, and the club will fill them with water on a daily basis and make sure there is always a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.
VIP Latrines
Two triple-door latrines will be constructed by our artisans and community volunteers. Three doors will serve the girls while the other three serve the boys. And with a new source of water on school grounds, students and staff should have enough to keep these new latrines clean.
Rainwater Catchment Tank
A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will help gather the needed materials such as sand, rocks, and water for our artisan to mix cement. Since the students and staff are so involved in the entire process, we know they'll have a strong sense of ownership and pride about their new clean water source. Once it's finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff. Students will no longer have to worry about where their water's coming from.
We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve. These higher standards will translate to better academic performance!
