Clean Water & Sanitation for Kenyan Primary School

A learner leans against the newly constructed ventilated improved latrines built in the primary school to decrease the likelihood of contracting waterborne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea therefore improving school attendance and student retention.

School children queuing for lunch supported by the School Feeding Program and the vegetable garden and tree seedling nursery established with rainwater harvesting technologies.

Where latrines do exist they are often of poor quality and only have one block that boys and girls share. Existing structures have wooden bases, suffering subsidence with potentially catastrophic implications for a child trapped inside. When girls reach a certain age they need greater privacy and will often stay away from or drop out of school completely if separate and secure bathroom facilities are not available.

Different vegetables including tomatoes, kale, spinach, cabbages, carrots, and onions are planted to supplement any local/traditional vegetables for integration into the School Feeding Program to boost the nutrition and health of the children.

Roof catchment systems and rainwater harvesting tanks provide a source of clean water not only for drinking but also for cleaning and hand washing. A readily available source of clean water on school campuses also ensures children more time to study instead of collecting water and will help prevent the contraction of water borne diseases that keep them away from classes.

Students at the primary school act as change ambassadors teaching others what they have learned about conservation techniques for climate change adaptation while the schools operate as demonstration sites for the community to learn from and mimic.