Challenges encountered in the WASH Program

Human/TWG- In the pre-pandemic settings, health education appears to be
unappealing to people. Even in schools, there seems to be a refusal to accept
that health should come first. The program is not sustained because of many
factors. The attitude of some teachers and personnel was the most evident one.
When teachers were tasked to facilitate health-related advocacies, the
acceptance was quite elusive. It became an added workload for them. They
thought there were more pressing issues that need prompt attention. Everything
was just a matter of compliance. In the beginning of the WASH advocacy, the
school personnel did not find it interesting and necessary. The hesitation came
from the undetermined benefits that one may get from it. Teachers would question
who will shoulder the cost, how to go about the nitty-gritty of the program or will
others understand that even teachers need to perform handwashing- these were
just a few of the many complaints encountered. Only a few personnel supported
the initiative- to say the least. Not all had the willingness to go the extra mile for
assistance. When lectures were conducted for information dissemination, the
acceptance was not profound. It took some time for the personnel to get
involved. It was only later, when the teachers, through a series of awards and
recognition initiatives, that their interest was sought. But, what’s even worse is that
some personnel would only be interested when contests for the best implementers
were held. After which, the program is once again dormant. This has been the
cycle.

Lack of access to adequate and safe water supply- While water is a basic
human need for survival and hygiene, schools in the far-flung areas have
limited access to safe drinking water and even tap water for washing. In
the lowland, water is much more accessible, but accessibility is not the sole
indicator to achieve the 3-star score. The water must be treated monthly
for presence of residues and microorganisms. For small schools, this is
burdensome. In big schools, they do not have a religious monitoring of
water facilities. Despite the water installation efforts, not everything is going
the way it should be. The school had a shortage of water supply during
summer, and this lead to thirst, lack of hygiene, and unclean use of
restrooms.

Insufficient functional toilets- Most schools lack toilet facilities to cater the
needs of students. The ratio of 1toilet:50 female and 1 urinal:50 male is not
met. The use of common restroom by many students often result to
unhygienic use, busted lighting, damaged doors, broken toilet seats, and
clogged sewage. Students do not appreciate the essence of co-ownership
in the use of physical facilities in schools.

Non-practice of hygiene behavior – Had it not for the pandemic, people in
general, would not realize the importance of handwashing. Even with the
obvious effort of installing IEC materials on proper handwashing technique,
toothbrushing and menstrual hygiene, the personal values of some children
cannot be fully reversed. Some children still feel awkward being watched
washing their hands. Even school personnel are hesitant to be observed while
doing the same. Proper segregation of wastes still needs to be reminded all the
time. These are still observed even with repeated reminders and information
drive.