Innovative water, sanitation services promote school attendance for girls

There are now more girls in school than at home in Kambara, a village with a population of 2000 in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State. Easy access to potable water and the availability of separate latrines for boys and girls give parents the confidence to send their daughters to school. The Gora Galadima […]

There are now more girls in school than at home in Kambara, a village with a population of 2000 in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State.

Easy access to potable water and the availability of separate latrines for boys and girls give parents the confidence to send their daughters to school.

The Gora Galadima Kambara Primary School in Kambara village has an enrolment of 369 pupils, and almost half of them are girls. On arrival at the school, the first thing that catches the eye is the line of white-painted taps outside the block of classrooms.

The taps, which have metal cases for holding soap attached to them, are connected to small blue tanks that provide water for hand washing at break time.

Twelve-year-old Suwaiba Ya’u, a class six pupil, attends the primary school with her cousin, Rafiya Ghali.

Suwaiba is thankful that she and the other girls in her community could go to school every day.

She recalls that a few years back, the situation in her community was different.

“I had friends who could not attend school because their parents did not allow them. This was because there was no water and toilet in schools,’’ she said.

The school’s Headmaster, Mr. Yusha’u Yunusa, explained that in the past, when there were no sanitation facilities, the condition was terrible.

The headmaster said: “The pupils either got water from an open well which is three kilometres from the school, or they bring their drinking water from home. They also practiced open defecation because there were no toilets in the school.

“It was difficult and embarrassing for girls to practice open defecation, and so many of them opted to skip school and stay at home. Seeing the need to address these barriers to school attendance, the UNICEF-trained members of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCom) in Kambara village constructed one latrine for the school.”

UNICEF, under the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP II) funded by the European Union, also installed a hand pump borehole and six separate latrines-three for girls and three for boys. The borehole supplies water to the taps in the latrines located several metres away. It also supplies water to the taps in front of the classrooms which are used for hand washing during short breaks.

Suwaiba Ya’u is excited about the intervention in her school. 

“The conditions are good for learning because water is close by and the latrines are near. The water is also safe for drinking and there is no fear of cholera or diarrhoea,” she said.

Members of WASHCom in Kambara, who also over see the maintenance of the hand pump borehole, visit the school regularly to teach the pupils how to wash their hands properly, and also how to use the latrines properly.

“We built the latrines because of the girls so that they would not defecate in the open. We also educate the teachers and pupils on good hygiene practices and the importance of hand washing,” WASHCom Chairman, Yushuu Jibrin said.

The members of WASHCom have also found an innovative way of raising funds for the maintenance of the hand pump borehole, which is done twice every year.

A garden is situated beside the borehole so that spilled water is channeled to water the plants.

Crops such as moringa, maize and wild potatoes are cultivated in the garden.

During harvest time, the yield is sold to generate income. This is then used to cover the cost of maintenance services for the borehole.

Akingbulu writes from UNICEF