Water and nutrition at schools in Freetown
With 7 water kiosks and the provision of milk powder for school meals, we help more than 55,000 people to a better future in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone
country
Freetown
city
2024-2026
period
55,200
people
From rural areas to cities
Although many people have moved from rural areas to the capital in search of a better life, a large share of Freetown’s residents still face significant hardship. Just 3% have access to piped water at home.
More than half of all schools in Sierra Leone lack access to clean drinking water, and around 1.2 million schoolchildren have no safe toilets, relying instead on open defecation.
The government is working to improve access to safe water, but the rapid growth of informal settlements has outpaced the expansion of the city’s water infrastructure. As a result, many schools in low-income communities still lack water facilities, while existing systems are often unable to provide reliable, long-term service.
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Durable access to water
Together with World Vision Sierra Leone, we will drill two new solar-powered boreholes at schools and upgrade five existing water systems to provide reliable, long-term access to safe drinking water—building on the success of a similar project in Ethiopia.
To ensure these systems remain sustainable, we will establish and train Water Management Committees, build and supply water kiosks at schools and markets, and construct income-generating WASH facilities that help fund the operation, maintenance and quality of the water systems.
Building latrines and hand washing points completes this project. With separate spaces for boys and girls and extra care for menstrual hygiene, we hope to take a lot of the burden off the shoulders of the residents of Freetown.
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By working in schools to provide clean drinking water and nutritious meals, we give children in Sierra Leone a chance to build a better future.
Frank van der Tang, co-founder Made Blue Foundation
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Gezonde voeding
In Freetown, we don’t just focus on clean water—we also promote healthy nutrition.
Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods and Hoogwegt have been Made Blue ambassadors for many years. For this project, they are going a step further by supplying milk powder to six schools. This enriches the free school meals, which often consist of little more than rice and beans, with essential nutrients. Together, we are helping children stay healthy and supporting their physical and cognitive development.
This combination of milk and water is unique and will hopefully teach us whether and how this combination can be used on a larger scale for the well-being of children and families in Freetown or elsewhere.
Set the flywheel in motion
We hope that this pilot will show schools and local government how water supplies can continue to operate sustainably by being enterprising.
We also want to inspire local entrepreneurs to enrich meals with nutritious milk powder at many more schools.
Together we will set a flywheel in motion for a much healthier youth in Sierra Leone!
More than 55000 people
This project started in 2024 and will run for 2 years. During this time we will build two new water points, 7 water kiosks, latrines for local communities and schools, and provide 1,800 students with powdered milk to supplement their daily free school meal. In total, we will be able to provide 55,200 people with clean water and access to WASH facilities, directly and indirectly, by the end of this project.
In partnership with
For this project, we joined forces with implementing partner World Vision and Made Blue ambassadors Hoogwegt and Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods.
Implementing partner World Vision works with partners on projects in Africa and Asia that ensure that women and girls have access to water, sanitation and equal treatment.
Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods is a milk powder producer that supplies powder for this project to address calcium deficiency in students.
Hoogwegt specialises in dairy products and ingredients. They also supply milk powder for this project to improve the nutrition of schoolchildren.
UPDATES ABOUT THIS PROJECT
FREETOWN: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene at school
Students share what access to clean drinking water means to them and what they learn in WASH club at school.
Read moreFreetown: where clean water and nutrition come together
In April we visited Freetown, Sierra Leone together with Made Blue ambassadors Hoogwegt International and Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods.
Read moreTwo water systems completed
Discover the latest news from Freetown, where the construction of two new water systems has been completed.
Read moreWater systems and kiosks under construction
Discover the latest news from Freetown: the construction of water systems and kiosks is in full progress in Sierra Leone.
Read more