But for kids like 17-year-old Ruth M., who lacks any safe and reliable source of water either at school or<\/em> at home, the journey is harder. She has to walk three miles to the closest dry riverbed to collect water from a contaminated scoop hole before continuing on to Ngungani Secondary School<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Walking several kilometers in search of water is exhausting and time-consuming. I arrive at school tired, with my leg muscles burning from the long journey, which makes it difficult to focus in class,” Ruth said.<\/p>\n\n\n Even worse, sometimes Ruth doesn\u2019t even get to drink the water she hauls because the school needs it for things like cleaning and handwashing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “There are times when there is no water in school, and I have to stay thirsty despite the hotness in the region,” Ruth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending all day in a hot building without any water to drink would make anyone thirsty. Add to that a long journey between home and school and back again, and it\u2019s no wonder that kids in sub-Saharan Africa often drop out early<\/a> \u2014 many even before graduating from primary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our field officer, Jefferson Mutie, spoke of a similar situation at Waasya Primary School<\/a> in Southeast Kenya: “With the odds stacked against them, many students fall so far behind in their lessons that they eventually drop out of school altogether. They know that education could provide their only pathway out of poverty, but the immediate necessity of collecting water supersedes any dream for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When my school day was done, the bus would bring me back home. I always hated the bus, because the kids were so loud, and I was one of the last stops even though the route passed my street multiple times. But if you\u2019d asked me then if I would prefer the long bus ride over staying overnight at school, I would have been horrified at the prospect of not going home at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are boarding schools in the United States, of course. But at boarding schools in sub-Saharan Africa, students are expected to keep themselves, their uniforms, and their environments clean day after day. But without water, this is not only difficult, it\u2019s next to impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “It is very frustrating to run operations in this school because water is essential in the pursuit of a better learning environment for the students,\u201d said teacher John Miles from Kyamboo Secondary School<\/a> in Southeast Kenya.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe students and teachers [have] to bear with the unclean classrooms and latrines in the school because water is mostly used for drinking and cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Returning to class without water to drink after lunch, like today, is demotivating and frustrating,” said 17-year-old Simon from the same school, Kyamboo.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cI find it very difficult to concentrate in class because I am distracted by thirst, and this has culminated in poor grades,\u201d Simon continued. \u201cI also have to resume class with my dirty plate and cup because there is no water in school. I have had to lick my plate clean or wipe it using papers, which causes contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Simon knows that his education is incredibly important and could help him and his family escape poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We have to bear with the conditions because we strive for a better future through learning,\u201d Simon continued. \u201cI hope that one day we will have enough water in our school so that I can always drink clean water, wash my utensils, and improve my personal hygiene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news is that as soon as kids hear a new water source is coming, their hope reignites \u2014 like 14-year-old Lydia\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I have been late for school due to water scarcity, which made me wake up very early to go [to] the river to fetch water to carry to school,\u201d said 14-year-old Lydia from Waasya Primary School<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cBeing late is punishable, as well as failing to bring water with me,\u201d Lydia continued. \u201cThis left [me] in a limbo of [being between a] hard place and a rock. I am hopeful to get [a] quality education once we get water at school and achieve my dreams in a bigger and better way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love Lydia\u2019s renewed hope at the prospect of getting water for her school. And if we can fund the water project at her school, her dreams will be closer than ever to coming true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that funding, Lydia will not merely dream about a more hopeful future \u2014 she will live it. And when kids are empowered by access to safe, reliable water, it won\u2019t be just their own futures that will change. Equipped with strong educations, the kids of sub-Saharan Africa will have the tools to build a better world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thewaterproject.org\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Kenya23678-Ruth-M-2-1024x683.jpg\")
Living at School Without Water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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But There\u2019s Hope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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