Water and sanitation at ánd around schools

Children in Ethiopia will get access to water and sanitation at school and the neighbourhood benefits as well.

Ethiopia

country

Addis & Oromia

region

2021-2023

period

35.100

people, including 15,300 girls

1 million for water

Together with Amref and Castalie, we will provide people with clean drinking water, safe sanitation and good hygiene. We will do so at twenty schools, but also in the communities around those schools, for example by building kiosks on the outside of those schools, including small shops.

In total we invest at least 1 million euros. With this we reach 35,100 people, but specifically also 15,300 girls in 20 schools. By building safe toilets, washbasins and changing rooms, we hope that the absenteeism rate of girls from school will decrease by 50% in the next 2.5 years.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

With the lessons learned over the past four years, the new ‘WASH at ánd around school’ program focuses on building water kiosks in schools. During school hours, the kiosks provide safe and hygienic sanitary facilities.

The facilities are managed by local micro-entrepreneurs and are also open to community members: toilet and shower use and the sale of sanitary items for a small fee. The proceeds are used to maintain and expand local facilities and to guarantee a permanent income for the facility managers.

By building safe toilets, sinks and changing rooms, we hope that the absence rate of girls from school will decrease by 50% in the next 2.5 years.

Amref

Sequel to previous project

In 2020 maakten wij een impact reis samen met onze ambassadeurs naar het project Schoon drinkwater een zaak voor iedereen in Ethiopië. Dit was ten tijde van de afronding van dat project, maar bleek de start van dit nieuwe, nog grotere project.

Together with our French ambassador Castalie we decided to provide as many schools as possible with the facilities as at the school we visited and to raise funds for this together. Here you can see the video of this impact trip.

This new project will run for the next three years, from now until December 2023, and we opt for an integrated approach.

Integral approach

  • We are renovating existing WASH facilities at ten schools, such as toilets and washbasins. In addition, we will build safe changing rooms for girls. We are building new facilities at 10 other schools.
  • In addition, we will develop environmentally friendly menstrual waste processing facilities. We will also urge governments and manufacturers to lower the price of these products. This makes products such as sanitary towels and tampons available to large groups of girls and women.
  • We build water points and safe toilets near schools so that people in the immediate vicinity of a school also have access to clean water and good sanitation.
  • We are going to encourage young people and women to set up small businesses around the sale of clean water and the sale and production of menstrual products.
  • And finally, we will provide training on clean water, good hygiene and good menstrual hygiene, including to local government officials, teachers and health care providers.

Latest updates of this project

Wrapping up in Ethiopia

We wrapped up our project in Ethiopia in 2023, with great success. Our focus was on providing children access to water and facilities at schools, in a way that the entire neighborhood could benefit…

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Washable sanitary towels – by and for everyone

A nice detail of the WASH program being implemented in Ethiopia is the production and distribution of washable sanitary towels. This obvious product makes a big difference in the lives of women and…

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The impact of a home water connection

In Ethiopia we are working hard on water in and around schools. We also provide nearby households with a water connection at home. This is also the case with Misra Taha from Bishoftu, mother of six…

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Wash at schools: what has already been achieved?

In Ethiopia we are working hard on water in and around schools. We aim to provide 20 schools with water and sanitation. How far have we already come after two years with more than a year to go?

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