GWC Water & Sanitation for a Tanzanian School

Following a survey of the water and sanitation facilities in communities and schools in the rural Mtwara region, AMREF concluded that many improvements needed to be made. AMREF found that roughly 88 percent of the schools in the district lacked water for hand-washing and very few latrines, which were in poor condition.

The Mtwara region is one of the poorest in Tanzania; the health of the people is below the national average and infant mortality is well above it. Only around 30 percent of the population has access to safe water and adequate sanitation. Malaria is prevalent throughout the region, and many of diseases afflicting people are water-related.

Current status

The Mtwara program was launched in September 2008. The following results have been achieved in the first year of the program:
• Seven rainwater systems with new gutters and collection tanks completed at each school, hand pumps installed and hand washing stations constructed.
• 15 ventilated improved pit latrines (VIP) with ten stances each have been constructed.
• Students in all 42 schools have been provided with hygiene training and materials for ongoing educational use
• Parent and student committees at each school have been established to oversee the maintenance of systems established by the project
• Students in all 42 school have been given access to first aid kits, and provided training to teachers on giving referrals to health clinics (through the EU grant)

The Mtwara program is part of AMREF's Water and Sanitation Umbrella Program (WASUP) implemented in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and funded by the European Union. In Tanzania, the four-year program will improve water and sanitation infrastructure in 40 villages, strengthen government and community-based institutions, train artisans to maintain systems, and teach and promote better personal and community health. The schools project will directly increase access to water and sanitation by installing or repairing rainwater harvesting tanks and building new latrines. Teachers, students and parents will work with advisors to integrate the Personal Health and Sanitation Education (PHASE) program into curricula.

The program goal is to improve the quality of life for Tanzanian school children through increased access to clean water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education.

Goals

• Increase access to clean water for everyone at the school
• Increase access to sanitation facilities for everyone at the
• Improve hygiene in students and families
• Improve hand-washing practices in schools

This program in Mtwara builds upon the previous experiences of AMREF in implementing other water and sanitation programs in Africa. The program is designed not only to provide or repair water systems and sanitation facilities but also to ensure their ongoing maintenance.