Water Water Everywhere!

“Water is Life”

For many of the children attending Matandani, a daily trek for water to their local bore hole (pump) is a chore that must be complete before they go to school. They must fetch enough water for the household for the day.  Here, at Matandani school, the only water facility available was also a bore hole. This was some distance from the classrooms and could only provide a fraction of the water needed for the school. This obviously became one of our most pressing development/needs required. We knew that an efficient, clean water supply had the potential to change Matandani school more than any other project.

No other schools in the area are connected to the mains / piped water so we had to investigate and make contact with many organisations to make this happen. This became a big project and took many weeks/ months to complete.

Luckily, the mains pipe ran within 150metres of the school.  This made it possible to access the main water supply for the school, for clean drinking water and for hygiene and sanitation.  We ran water pipes to a main tap, central to all classrooms. This means that the school has access to a constant supply of clean drinking water as is needed. The children and teachers were very excited about having clean drinking water. It has made a huge difference to the school. Matandani also had a big water storage tank that hadn’t been used in the last 3years. We connected this tank to the mains pipe as a backup supply when the mains water supply is not working, which is a regular occurrence. We placed a thatched roof on the tank to ensure that the water remains cool during the hot months.

We improved on this by supplying water pails with taps for each classroom. Children now fill their pails from the main tap each day.  This means they can have a drink of water without having to leave the classroom. The water pails in the classrooms prevent the children from dehydrating, increasing the ability to concentrate during lessons. The children in the senior classes have each been supplied with a drinking bottle which they have for their table. Some of them have designed really beautiful covers for these bottles that helps keep the water cooler and others have put nuts in their bottles for extra nutrition!

When I first came to Matandani, I noticed that the toilets had no water supply. Hygiene and sanitation were an issue. I observed that the toilets were not being used by many of the children. Due to a lack of water it was difficult to keep the toilets clean. Whilst installing the main water supply, we decided to connect each of the toilet blocks with its own supply of water. This was an immediate success. The water was connected at 1 o’clock, on a Saturday, just before we went for lunch.  When we returned from lunch, within an hour, we found lots of children cleaning the toilets on their own initiative. The deputy principal was so impressed to see the children taking pride in their own toilet block as was I. Since that day, all students now use the toilets and they have developed a rota where children from the senior classes take turns to maintain the toilet blocks. The teachers, in life skill classes, have thought and demonstrated the importance of hygiene and hand washing.  The taps outside the toilet blocks makes it easy for the children to wash their hands. Some classes have now began using soap for hand washing.  This, we hope, will extend to all classes in the near future.  Each toilet block has its own smaller water tank to ensure that there is water always available in the toilets even during times of water shortages.

Having a water supply has had lots additional benefits.  We planted trees on the school grounds.  The children take great pride in watering and caring for the trees each day and the trees are growing well.  They are proving very responsible at this task.  The teachers have built raised beds outside of each of their classrooms.  They have taught the children all about planting.  The children are now meticulous about weeding and watering their areas.  It has been noticed that there is healthy competition between the classes regarding the best raised bed.

With the clean drinking water supply to the school and improved toilet facilities the children find school a more pleasant place to be.  Also with the improved hygiene awareness children are less likely to become ill.  The children’s attendance record has improved as noted by the Department Inspectors.  We now have a higher attendance than other schools in the area.