Realising the rights of 320 children to access improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at Bofa primary school, Kilifi, Kenya. Towards a comprehensive School-Led Total Sanitation programme Children at Bofa primary hand pumping water from a borehole donated in 2012 by a women organization. Name of the Organization Lifting the Barriers (LIBA) Contact details of key person Jacqueline Jumbe-Kahura Executive Director Lifting the Barriers, Kilifi, Kenya Physical address Kilifi stadium; P.O. Box 1199 Postal Code: 80108, Kilifi Email/Website: Liftingthebarriers@gmaill.org; jacquekahura@yahoo.com 1.0 Introduction This project will complement existing district government water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives in Kilifi District by increasing demand for improved sanitation in and around Bofa primary school using School-Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) approach. This approach promotes improved sanitation, hygiene behaviour change, and extending safe water supply at the school and by extension, to the school neighbourhood. This will provide significant benefits to 320 children at Bofa primary school, 8 teachers and underserved areas of Bofa village. Government officials and community members were directly involved in identifying, planning and designing this activity and will actively participate in its implementation. 2.0 Current situation: In 2011, a national school sanitation and hygiene study conducted in Kenya by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Sports revealed that a quarter of surveyed schools did not have separate facilities for girls and boys. Furthermore, 64% of school toilets did not have doors, compromising privacy, particularly for girls. This situation has been exacerbated by rapid population growth and increased school enrolment resulting from implementation of the government’s ‘Universal Primary Education’ program. Bofa primary is a notable example, where district government documents indicate an average pupil-latrine ratio of 64:1. While some Jacque of LIBA speaking to the children at Bofa. schools approximate the The school is one left of the picture and a Government-recommended ratio of 25:1. The ‘physical environment sanitation facility block on the far right of many schools is not conducive for children learning with disabilities resulting in many children with disabilities being unable to attend. Lifting the Barriers records further indicate that primary school water supply coverage in Kilifi District stands at less than 30%—compared to 48% at community level. Fewer than 30% of schools in Kilifi district program area have hand washing facilities. Limited WASH coverage in schools, combined with poor hygiene and sanitation practices, all continue to contribute to high rates of absenteeism. WASH-related illnesses are a major cause of this in project areas. Competing government priorities mean that district authorities spend the bulk of school budget allocations on teachers’ salaries and curriculum, leaving little for WASH. At Bofa, the school is lucky to have received a donation of a borehole hence water is readily available. The water however is salty so though it is being taken by the children and teachers, it is not good for consumption. The main challenge has been lack of storage facilities (water tanks) that can facilitate water storage and treatment either from the roof catchment or from the borehole. 3.0 LIBAs WASH themes Sanitation facilities provision. Lifting the Barriers sanitation intervention revolves around ensuring that there is proper disposal of human waste and the environment is left clean from any human contamination. Provision of the toilet facilities is not enough; there is need to keep the facilities clean and safe for use by all learners. Hygiene Promotion. LIBAs hygiene promotion revolves around children’s everyday lives and routines, ensuring that it is practical, participatory and realistic. Activities allow children not only to learn facts but also develop hygiene skills that enable them to take greater responsibility for their own lives. Our hygiene promotion approaches and materials are customised by LIBAs WASH team to ensure that they reflect the local context and are consistent with policies and standards of the national government. We regularly share approaches and resources with other WASH agencies and government departments. Water supply. Lifting the Barriers proposes the provision of water tanks to facilitate roof catchment of rainy water which goes to waste. This water is clean and tasty for drinking. Suring dry spells, the parents can support the children fill out the tanks with borehole water. The borehole water will be used to improve the school environment, landscaping, school garden and the community can also fetch the water at a small fee. The school roof will also be fitted with gutters to direct water to the tanks during rainy season. We recognize that the selection of appropriate technology has a major bearing on communities’ abilities to sustain their infrastructure. It is for this reason that, in line with the wishes of the donor who provided the borehole at the school that the water is made accessible to communities around the school, the stored water in tanks will be made available to the communities at a small fee. This fund will help sustain the water storage facilities and roof gutters. 4.0 Project Purpose, Objectives, activities, outputs, expected outcomes 4.1 Purpose: Provide WASH facilities at Bofa primary that will facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive school health program that benefits children, teachers, parents and the community around the school. It is envisaged that, ultimately, this program will lead to change in behaviour and practices around hygiene and sanitation, improve child health, protect child rights and improve school grades. 4.2 Activity Objective: Enhance the health and quality of life 320 boys and girls of Bofa primary in Kilifi District through adoption of improved hygiene and sanitation behaviour and increased access to safe and sustainable water supply. 4.3 Activity description i. Building sanitation facilities (toilets): Lifting the Barriers will make additional 3 units which will comprise the following; two additional sanitation facilities and bathing rooms for girls. The extra bathing facilities will enable girls shower and change whenever they are receiving their menses thus keeping them hygienically clean and in school. We will also build 2 additional sanitation facilities and urinals for boys: This will decongest the toilets for the boys as the urinals will enable the boys be served with ease and without delay. The nursery school children will also receive 2 additional toilets that will be built appropriate to their age. At the moment, they share toilets with older pupils disadvantaging the young ones and also endangering their lives as the holes are not user and age friendly. ii. Providing hand washing facilities: Sanitation and good hygiene practices goes together and these hygiene practices have to be learnt, practiced and sustained. Each sanitation facility will be provided with hand washing facility and the parents, teachers and students will be trained on the benefits of hand washing with soap and keeping the sanitation facilities clean. iii. Provide two pieces of 5000 litres water tanks: Water from the bore hole will be hand pumped during dry season to the tanks to enable children and teachers access safe drinking water. During rainy season, rain water catchment will also be encouraged. Minor pipes will be laid connecting the tanks to different watering points (i.e. school garden, sanitation facilities and to the classrooms.) 4.4. Main outputs i. Universally accessible hand washing facilities installed at the school. ii. Appropriately designed latrine blocks constructed at the school. iii. Universally accessible school water supply systems improved (2 rainwater harvesting systems, piping and gutters installed). Local private contractors will be engaged to construct separate latrines that cater for boys (including urinals), girls (ensuring sufficient privacy and access to wash rooms) and pupils with disabilities. The total number of latrines in the schools will accommodate projected enrolment growth. Simple, water-saving hand washing stations will be installed near latrine blocks. District authorities will undertake water quality monitoring to ensure water quality meets WHO standards. Excess water will be used for vegetable gardens and tree-planting activities in schools. 4.5 Expected Outcome 1: Increased access to appropriately designed, gender equitable WASH facilities among 320 girls and boys at Bofa primary school in Kilifi district. Expected Outcome 2: Improved access to safe, adequate and sustainably-managed water supply at the school and its environs. Increased access to clean, safe water supply will improve the health of the children and the teachers, while at the same time, make the stored water accessible to the school neighborhood at a small fee. The water levy will build on the maintance fund for the water facility. 4.6 Expected long term results: this project brings many good and positive results for the children, teachers and the community around them. There will be Improved dignity, particularly for girls. There will be more girls accessing school because of the privacy and dignity that comes with improved sanitation. Poor sanitation for girls has driven many maturing girls out of school. Increased sanitation facilities mean fewer queues of children lining up to use the few sanitation facilities meaning more time spent in class. When facilities are fewer, the younger children are disadvantaged as they are asked to ‘wait’ in the queue thus making them voiceless. Improved hygiene practices like hand washing with soap and this means less children falling ill and staying away from school More children taking the WASH messages home thus causing a ripple effect of the positive effects beyond the school Mature girls are comfortable even during their menses as special bathing facilities have been provided The environment is left clean because of no more open defecation. It is more dignifying to use a sanitation facility than the bush. The children safety is guaranteed at the school unlike when they have to walk long distance to the nearest bush. Girl child sexual abuse and snake bites is drastically minimised More time is spent in class other than looking for open defection sites 5.0 WASH Principles and cross cutting issues 5.1 WASH principles: Lifting the Barriers WASH goal is for children to realise their right to equitable and sustained access to improved sanitation facilities and safe drinking water supplies, and to practice good hygiene behaviours. In working towards this goal, the proposed suite of activities share four important characteristics: 1. Working in partnership. The focus for our WASH Fund activities is partnership with government. For each activity, government agencies will be the prime partners, building on existing relationships with key government WASH staff. Rather than attempting to deliver services directly, our partnerships support government at a range of levels to meet the long-term needs of target communities, in accordance with their national policies and programs and their Millennium Development Goal commitments. 2. Replicable. We recognise the importance of working at scale and have designed each activity so that the approach can be replicated elsewhere by government partners using their own resources or those of other donors. Our activities also provide the necessary strengthening of partner capacity to make replication achievable. 3. Serving underserved communities. LIBA carefully targets its WASH assistance towards marginalised and vulnerable communities. Targeting is informed by consultation with government partners and our own situational analyses. Some of these vulnerable communities are in peri-urban areas (such as Bofa village). 4. Demand-driven. We direct our resources towards communities and partners where the demand for improved WASH has been clearly articulated. This is a critical first step in achieving sustainability. 5.2 WASH Priority cross-cutting themes Lifting the Barriers and implementing partners will undertake child protection assessments wherever children are engaged in or directly affected by project activities. This activity will also strengthen girls’ and boys’ influence on project activities—through consultation on infrastructure design and placement, playing a leading role in hygiene promotion and running gender-balanced School Health Clubs with support from teachers. Universally accessible WASH infrastructure will benefit children with disabilities, improving the school experience for those who do attend while reducing some of the barriers preventing those who do not. Lifting the Barriers and other WASH technical experts will conduct environmental impact assessments to identify and mitigate potentially negative impacts. Where negative effects are highlighted, efforts will be made to minimise these, both in the short term (during construction) and the long term. 6.0 Expected benefits and risks Primary beneficiaries: Approximately 320 girls, boys and their teachers at Bofa primary schools through improved hygiene practices and increased access to improved and sustainably managed WASH infrastructure. Secondary beneficiaries: District authorities and school management structures through joint planning and implementation. Non-school attending children, peers, siblings, other family members through greater hygiene and sanitation awareness resulting from child-to-child health promotion techniques. Vulnerable groups: children with disabilities will benefit strongly through improved hygiene practices, increased access to safe water supplies and appropriately designed latrines. 7.0 Most significant risks: Of the risks identified, the most significant are: Risk and potential impacts School latrines are not kept clean, resulting in low usage by school children Risk mitigation responses LIBA will work closely with the District Education department and School Management Committees to ensure head teacher prioritise hygiene and sanitation in the project school. Also, work closely with teachers and children to develop effective arrangements to ensure latrines are kept clean. School and cultural practices inhibit active and meaningful participation of children (particularly girls) and women during the project and afterward. Lifting the Barriers, project school staff and District Education department to encourage female members on School Management Committee (SMCs). Female members to be supported by LIBA staff and community members. Meeting times will be arranged so women are able to attend. Monitoring activities will include group consultations with women and men separately. . 6.0 Sustainability of outcomes Project community members, Lifting the Barriers, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health officials will participate in regular meetings at key points throughout the project cycle to review progress and lessons learned, and anticipate challenges to future sustainability. LIBA will build the operation and management capacity of key duty bearers, negotiate local in-kind contributions towards construction and support students to lead hygiene promotion activities. Working through and with local structures and beneficiaries will promote sustainability by increasing knowledge, skills and positive hygiene behaviour change become entrenched in project school and surrounding communities. Project stakeholders will review progress and resolve challenges during biannual review meetings. 6.0 Inputs and costs: Kindly see attached excel sheet