SOAPY WATER: When bar soap
disappears at schools is soapy
water the answer?
Questions
After a revealing study of 55 pilot schools in which only
2% were found to provide soap for hand washing on the
day they were visited, staff of the SWASH+ Project decided to try something new. The study, conducted in
April-May of 2008, had identified soap theft as one of
the main barriers to the sustainability of soap provision at
schools. Therefore, SWASH+ set out to determine
whether soap dissolved in water would be less subject to
theft.
school WASH intervention.
In Ragen AIC primary school, which had the highest ratio of pupils visiting latrines and using soapy (82%), both
patrons and teachers were reported to be involved in
collecting and treating hand washing water and three
different groups involved in making the soapy water
solution. This involvement of various groups within the
school may be an indicator or cause of a sustainable
Suggestions:
30% of interviewees suggested “larger and stronger
bottles” or “well perforated bottles from the supermarket”
30% said bottles need to be secured or locked to the
hand washing station to prevent theft or being
knocked down
In addition, since two of
the three soapy water
“success schools”, are in
a district were schools
were given the powdered soap packets
several months earlier
than the other districts, it
Research
is possible that the other
schools will improve use
CARE Kisumu, one of the SWASH+ partners, gave eleven
of soapy water over
schools in the districts of Nyando, Rachuonyo, and
time. Unannounced
Suba, which had already received the Safe Water Sysbiweekly follow-ups
tems input and training, one-kilogram packets of powfrom January through
dered soap. Each school was instructed to make soapy
March 2009 will further
Hand washing instructions on this
water and store it in locally available bottles next to
help to inform use and
container spell out the need for using
hand washing stations provided by the SWASH+ project.
sustainability of the
soap.
Later, Emory University, with the help of CARE partners,
soapy water innovation.
carried out a first round of surveying in ten of the eleven
schools between October 29 and November 5, 2008
Successes in Schools:
70% said soapy water was “economical” or
Findings
“cheaper” than bar soap
80% reported that theft of soap had reduced
40% said that soapy water was easy to use
Although 90% of schools provided hand washing water
30% said soapy water lathers easily
on the day CARE staff visited schools, only 30% of the 10
schools had soapy water available near hand washing
Challenges in Schools:
stations with water. Two of the three schools that had
50% said soapy water is “misused” or “wasted” by
soapy water available on the day of the visit were in
students
Nyando district, which is the district that received pow30% said soapy water bottles are taken
dered soap several months earlier than both Rachuo30% thought the process of preparing soapy water
nyo and Suba districts. According to CARE staff, the
was “cumbersome” or “takes time”
two Nyando schools both had over 50% of pupils who
20% said soapy water bottles were losing their shape
visited the latrine wash their hands with soapy water
over time
afterward.
Based on an April-May 2008 Soapy Water Survey conducted in SWASH+ Pilot Schools by the Center for Global Safe Water
at Emory University. For further information please visit http://www.sph.emory.edu/CGSW/SWASH/
SWASH+ is a five-year applied research program to identify, develop, and test innovative approaches to school-based water,
sanitation and hygiene interventions in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Implementing partners are CARE, Emory University, the
Government of Kenya, the Kenya Water for Health Organisation (KWAHO), and Water Partners International.