Welthungerhilfe/WaSAP constructed 2 EMAS wells at the New Harvest Primary School in Talia having an enrolment of 390 students (191 boys & 199 girls). We also constructed 2 inclusive , gender-segregated latrine blocks with a water tank & handwashing station.
The sustainable supply of safe water has made school lunches healthier, consequently increasing school enrolment and retention.
In the past, pupils would fetch water for cooking and most of the time they came back drenched in sweat and tired from the long walk, and some would not come back at all.”, Mr. John Bucknor - Head Teacher
The WASH facilities provided by WHH/WaSAP reduced absenteeism because students have fewer water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea, cholera, skin infections, etc. These WASH facilities have also increased the students’ safety and dignity, especially for girls who have been missing valuable classroom time during their menses when they avoided to go to school because of lack of latrines and water
“School WASH projects have a number of benefits, such as increasing the cognitive capacity of pupils due to reduced health issues”. Mr. Albert Dove - District Public Health Superintendent
Now, the children are enjoying school, their faces were beaming with happiness when we visited the school. Jeneba Morray, a 10-year old female student had this to say: “Before this project we always ran back to our houses to drink water or go to the nearby bush to the toilet and therefore we missed part of the classes. Some of us did not return and then ended up repeating classes. Now this has stopped. Thanks to you we have drinking water and latrines at the school,”.
The success of our intervention was largely due to the cooperation of the community, parents, and the leadership of the town chief, Bockarie Saffa. He regularly monitored the project to ensure that activities had the necessary manpower and other forms of community contribution. His presence at the project site was motivating and encouraging for the all involved.
WaSAP is a social business registered in Sierra Leone that provides water sanitation and hygiene services.
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