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
With funding from Made Blue, World Vision Sierra Leone will build two new boreholes at schools and rehabilitate five existing ones. Water kiosks, latrines and hand washing facilities, will be added alongside the boreholes, with separate facilities for boys and girls and additional attention to menstrual hygiene.
Building a water point is one thing; making sure it continues to function in the long term is just as important. That is why the project also includes funding to establish local Water Management Committees and school-based WASH clubs. They learn how to manage and maintain the facilities. This means we are investing not only in new infrastructure, but also in what is needed to keep it functioning sustainably over the long term.
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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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Healthy nutrition
In Freetown, our focus goes beyond clean water. With the support of Made Blue ambassadors Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods and Hoogwegt, we are also investing in better nutrition. At six schools, they provide milk powder to supplement the free school meals, which often consist mainly of rice and beans.
Clean water and good nutrition are closely connected. Contaminated water can cause diarrhoea and other intestinal infections, making it harder for children to absorb nutrients and causing them to lose essential nutrients.
With the additional support of Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods and Hoogwegt, we can make an even greater impact in Freetown. Clean water and better hygiene help children stay healthy and absorb nutrients properly. At the same time, milk powder provides additional protein and calcium — important building blocks for their growth and development.
Setting the flywheel in motion
Alongside improving access to clean water and hygiene, this project also aims to demonstrate how these services can be sustained over the long term. By combining local management with income generation for maintenance, communities have the resources to keep their water systems running themselves.
At the same time, we’re exploring with six schools what is possible when clean water and better nutrition come together. Adding milk powder is a first step towards making school meals more nutritious and maximising the benefits of clean water.
We will use the lessons from this pilot to identify with World Vision Sierra Leone what works well and what could be scaled up — in Freetown and potentially beyond.
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 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