The government of Liberia, with support from a US$7 million GPE COVID-19 emergency grant implemented by UNICEF, is contributing to making sure the education system is ready for school reopening.

Among the initiatives funded by the GPE-supported program have been the provision of health kits for all schools and the development of a school health and well-being protocol.

These two initiatives aim to improve water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in schools, which was considered less than satisfactory in Liberia and a situation particularly challenging for girls.

Health kits bring positive results

The health kits brought about several benefits, including the following:

• Incidence of minor illnesses among students dropped.
• Students stopped getting sick from minor ailments.
• Incidences of diarrhea dropped among students and teachers.
• Students came to school only when they were healthy and stayed away when sick.

Additionally, janitorial service staff now have more cleaning materials and protective clothing, which has made their work less hazardous than it used to be. These cleaning materials—part of the GPE health kits—included spray guns (disinfectants), rain boots, gloves and chlorine.

The health kits had also a positive effect on girls’ attendance. The clean WASH facilities created a happier and healthier environment for girls and recreation periods are no longer times to run home and not return.

The pro-disability interventions of the GPE program resulted in the development, procurement and distribution of a basic disability learning kit. This is a first step towards addressing disability and inclusion and operationalizing the existing government policy.

With support from GPE and UNICEF, the government of Liberia is making good progress in promoting safe learning and ensuring children can stay healthy while in school.