Addressing the water and sanitation needs of primary schools: experiences from East Africa

In East Africa, many national governments have adopted a policy of free universal primary education in recognition of the importance of an educated population to support local poverty reduction efforts. Unfortunately, not enough consideration has been paid to the important contribution of clean and healthy school conditions towards better educational achievements. Water and sanitation in schools also have important gender aspects; the absence or inadequacy of these basic services is a major disincentive for many girls to attend school. WaterCan’s Clean Water for Schools Program, launched in 2005, has to date assisted more than 10,000 students and teachers at primary schools in East Africa. Using a combination of posters and PowerPoint presentations, WaterCan’s Program Director and representatives from local partner organizations working in East Africa, will share their practical experience gained from programming in over 25 primary schools located in various rural and urban contexts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.