Introduction
According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) survey in 2006, a paltry 29% of all schools in Kenya, at both primary and secondary levels, have access to clean drinking water and appropriate sanitation facilities. Where these facilities are in place, the quality is often awful. In most primary schools across Kenya, teachers and pupils often share a pit-latrine toilet, which in some cases serve over 100 people. Clean drinking water and appropriate sanitation in schools have social, economic and health benefits not only to the school going children, but also to their families and community generally. This situation is inhumane.
Research has shown that schools with proper water and sanitation facilities report less illnesses, reduced drop-outs (especially of girls) and better school results.This and many more facts form the basis for the interest of SHF in school WASH in Kenya and elsewhere in the developing world.
Background
The introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) and subsidized secondary school education by the Government of Kenya (GoK) in 2003 and 2008 respectively led to an influx of children into schools worsening an already appalling school water and sanitation situation, especially availability of enough and safe toilet facilities. This sorry state of affairs prompted SHF and Ecotact, a Kenyan social enterprise, to jointly design a School-WASH Programme. The comprehensive intervention, now in its pilot phase, goes beyond the construction or rehabilitation of WatSan facilities and trainings in maintenance and management. It includes hygiene sensitisation for pupils, teachers and indirect family members and advocacy with government and WatSan stakeholders
Objectives School-WASH Programme
- Increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in schools
- Build capacity of good hygiene among pupils, staff and indirect their families
- Increase participation of girls in schools, especially the transition between primary and secondary school
- Build the capacity of local partners in the use of appropriate, affordable and innovative construction technologies, such as the dome technology
- Identify, access and use of combined local and international funding in the national programme roll-out
- To create ownership, involve the school community in the implementation of the facilities
- To sustain the facilities by providing a bio digester, which provides biogas for the school feeding programme (and doing so diminish the use of (bought) firewood ) a maintenance and management training
- Make roles of WatSan providers and urgent need for WASH clear to all stakeholders
Activities/achievements
In October the WatSan facility, complete with a bio digester, at Dagoretti Mixed Secondary School in Kawangware slum in Nairobi will be celebratory opened by Hon. M.P. Minister of Public Health Beth Mugo. The facility includes a bio digester to create an alternative form of energy; biogas which will be used for cooking. Benefits of the use of biogas instead of fuel wood is that the emission of CO 2 will be deducted and deforestation will be decreased and schools don’t need to spend money on fuel wood. To ensure sustainability, students, teachers and support staff at the school will be sensitised on safe water, sanitation, hygiene practices (WASH) and trained in maintenance and management.
In April 2010 SHF has identified partners to jointly carry out this programme. SHF is the management partner, SNV South Rift Valley the advocacy partner, Umande Trust the hardware and water purification partner, and Jacaranda Design and Participatory Methodologies Forum of Kenya the hygiene awareness and research partner. Together we are refining the criteria for selecting beneficiary schools and identification possible sources of funding.
Kick-off SHF Kenya School WASH Programme through a festive opening of a water and sanitation facility at Dagoretti Mixed Secondary School in Kawangware, Nairobi
The Minister of Public Health and Sanitation, Hon. Beth Mugo opened a dome-shaped toilet block with a biodigester at Dagoretti Mixed Secondary School in Kawangware on November, 1st . The Chanuka team of performing artists was present to launch the hygiene promotion component of the programme. Thanks to the new facility, and the hygiene promotion, the access to safe drinking water and better toilet-facilities has improved. Moreover, the knowledge about hygiene will increase soon among pupils and staff as well. With the Kenya School WASH programme SHF and partners hope to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in a lot of other schools in Kenya. Read more…
Way forward
Once the pilot is assessed and found viable, SHF and partners intend to upscale the programme to cover over 100 schools, both renewal and upgrading, in various parts of the country, but financial means need to be secured for this.
SHF would like to acknowledge and thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands for supporting this programme.
