World Water Day: Access to clean water in schools is essential to keep children learning

Access to potable water for drinking, and clean, functioning toilets and hand washing stations for good hygiene are essential to keep children healthy and able to learn. That’s why many programs supported by GPE in partner countries include renovation of water and sanitation facilities in schools.

March 22, 2024 by GPE Secretariat

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Globally, 2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and almost half of the world’s population (3.6 billion) lack access to safely managed sanitation, according to the UN World Water Development Report 2023.

Climate change events also impact access to water, with some areas experiencing long droughts, forcing families to relocate to find new means of livelihood, and other areas flooded, which disrupts access to services, including education.

Many of the programs supported by GPE in partner countries include renovation of water and sanitation facilities in schools. Because access to potable water for drinking, and clean, functioning toilets and hand washing stations for good hygiene are essential to keep children healthy and able to learn.

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Students at Saint Ignatius Primary School wash their hands after an art project. Lethem, Region 9, Guyana. Credit: GPE/Kelley Lynch

Guyana: Students at Saint Ignatius Primary School in Lethem, Region 9, Guyana, wash their hands after an art project. The GPE-supported program funded handwashing stations for all schools in remote regions, including wash basins, water tanks and soap.

The pandemic forced everyone to re-learn how to practice proper hygiene. These good practices have been reintegrated in daily routines in schools and children in Guyana even sing this rhyme to remember them:

“I must always wash my hands
Before I eat my meals
Or else the germs from both of them
Will get inside me.”

Credit: GPE/Kelley Lynch

New buildings with water retention tanks are seen at Nazareth school near Kindu, Maniema province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: GPE/Elvix Kwanu

Democratic Republic of Congo: This is one of the new buildings at Nazareth School, near Kindu, Maniema province. Two water tanks have been installed to capture rain. GPE funding helped rebuild crumbling infrastructure and get students back into school after the pandemic.

Credit: GPE/Elvix Kwanu

A student gets fresh water from a cooler. Credit: GPE/Sebastian Rich

Pakistan: A student drinks fresh water from a cooler at the Government Elementary School Manak, in Lahore, Pakistan. The school received a new water filtration system and renovated handwashing stations through the GPE-funded TALEEM program. The school council hired local workers to dig a new well and undertake the renovations. Now students don’t have to bring water from home.

TALEEM is investing in the rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities in 11,000 schools throughout Punjab, re-allocating $5 million of the GPE grant to these activities after the 2022 floods devastated the country.

Credit: GPE/Sebastian Rich

Children washing their hands in the school yard. This water point was built thanks to GPE funds. Ecole Quartier 7, Djibouti City. Credit: GPE/Federico Scoppa

Djibouti: Children wash their hands in the school yard of Ecole Quartier 7 in Djibouti City. The water point was built under the GPE-funded program, which also equipped another 70 rural schools with water points, latrines and solar panels.

Credit: GPE/Federico Scoppa

Vanuatu: A girl washes her hand at Bambua School. After the destruction caused by Cyclone Harold in 2020, GPE supported Vanuatu to rebuild: 87 primary schools were equipped with water tanks, ensuring hygienic practices, and helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19. About 13,800 students and 560 teachers were given access to clean drinking water and handwashing facilities.

Credit: GPE/Arlene Bax

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Focus areas: School health and nutrition

Regions and countries: East Asia and Pacific: Vanuatu; Latin America and Caribbean: Guyana; Middle East and North Africa: Djibouti; South Asia: Pakistan; Sub-Saharan Africa: Congo, Democratic Republic of

October 30, 2024 by Simir

I am deeply grateful for this humanitarian project fund. Upon learning about this initiative, I was filled with joy. In my home country of Ethiopia, we face similar challenges of peace and access to clean water, particularly for children in schools and homes. I believe that by working together, we can create a brighter future for children in Ethiopia and beyond.

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