FAQs

Why focus on water and sanitation now?

Unsafe water and poor sanitation continue to be the biggest killers of children in the developing world in 2006. Hundreds of organizations, from large aid organizations to small charities, have been working continuously to solve this problem. Yet:

Over 1.1 billion people remain without safe, affordable and sustainable drinking water in the developing world;
Over 2.6 billion people live without adequate sanitation facilities;
Over 80 percent of the developing world's illnesses are caused by unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.

Most importantly, we know today the solutions to the problem, and it is imperative that we move quickly and efficiently to address the same issue. Safe drinking water and improved sanitation are the foundations upon which all other development work relies.

FACT SHEET: FOCUS ON SCHOOLS

Water and Sanitation Coverage

1.1. billion (17% of the population), people lack access to safe water supply and 2.6 billion (42% of the population) have no place to use a safe toilet.

Almost two-thirds of the people who lack access to water live on less than $1/day. Similarly, 660 million people lacking sanitation access live on less than $2/day and another 385 million on less than $1/day.

Most of the people who have no access to safe water live on five or fewer liters of water per day. A generally accepted minimum threshold for water use is 20 liters per person, per day.

Among the heavily indebted poor countries, only half the urban population has access to improved sanitation and 59% of the total population has access to an improved water source.

In 2005, UNICEF estimated that more than half the world’s schools lacked clean toilets, drinking water and hygiene lessons for students.

Impact of the problem

In 2003, 1.6 million deaths were attributable to unsafe water and sanitation, including lack of hygiene; 90% of this burden is concentrated on children in developing countries.

Improvements in water and sanitation would significantly reduce the occurrence of diarrhea, malaria, trachoma, intestinal helminthes, hepatitis A, arsenic poisoning, and fluorosis. Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children world-wide. Hygiene interventions alone can reduce cases of diarrhea by 45%.

It is estimated that on average, women and girls in developing countries walk 6 kilometers or 3.5 miles, a day, carrying 20 liters (approx 5.3 gallons) of water, greatly reducing the time that they have for other productive activities and for girls to attend school.

Water and Sanitation in Schools

In 2005, UNICEF estimated that more than half the world’s schools lack clean toilets, drinking water and hygiene lessons for schoolchildren. The Millennium Development Goal of ensuring universal primary education by 2015 is threatened because so many schools lack clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene education. Universal education requires not only buildings and teachers, but a safe environment and a healthy student population that is able to attend and learn.

The consequences of the absence of these basic services are severe. Diarrheal diseases, intestinal worms and other parasitic infections related to unsafe water and lack of sanitation cost some 443 million school days each year.

More than 150 million school children are infected by intestinal parasites because they lack access to clean water and sanitation. Children with infections are twice as likely to miss school as those without, and even when they do attend school they perform less well.

Among adolescent girls, school attendance drops dramatically, especially during menstrual cycle days, when there is no clean and safe latrine in the school. In sub-Saharan Africa about half the drop-out rate among girls can be attributed to a lack of water and sanitation in schools. Parents are more likely to send girls to school if they know that they will have clean water at least during school hours.

Impacts of School-based interventions

The availability of safe drinking water, clean toilets and hygiene education in schools leads to up to 30% reduction in absenteeism within a few months. A number of factors, including improved health, lead to these declines.

When primary education is free, children, even from the poorest households, attend school. School-based programs are a good way to reach these children and their parents, who are often missed by traditional development programs.

Both rural and urban schools serve as focal points in communities and are a cost-effective means to reach numerous households at one time.

Children bring what they learn home and pressure elders to adopt, which benefits younger siblings. In addition, most school-based programs directly engage parents in campaigns designed to share information on water treatment and safe storage and handling, hand washing and sanitation.

Manyolderchildrenarealsocaretakersforyoungersiblings. In many parts of the world, older school children will be parents just a few years after leaving school. Hygiene education for girls is especially important as they are responsible, even at a young age for siblings, and eventually for the health of their own children.

Schools with water, sanitation and hygiene lessons attract and retain better teachers.

Examples/Case studies documenting impact of school-based programs

A study of the effectiveness of school health education programs funded by WaterAid found that following these programs, 68 percent of families had built household latrines without external subsidies. In Kenya, a school water treatment and hygiene education program in 45 schools increased community knowledge of chlorine treatment, nearly doubling the percentage that had ever used the product and increased reported use from 7 percent to 15 percent after only one year. A qualitative study from the same project revealed that students are particularly good at reinforcing messages from traditional social marketing techniques such as radio and promoting adoption of these behaviors. They do this by demonstrating new water treatment and handwashing practices to parents and by transferring information from authority figures like teachers. By serving as community focal points, schools help make this process of community learning efficient.

Many older children are also caretakers for younger siblings. The impact of the child-to child approach used by UNICEF has also led to distinct improvements in Nepal, where a study showed that 73 percent of students reported improvements in personal hygiene behavior, and in the behavior of their siblings at home. In some districts in the Nyanza region, where GWC has invested, 30 percent of the schoolchildren are AIDS orphans, who are often directly involved in sibling care before and after school hours.

Sources:
Bellamy, Carol (2005) Foreword: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education for Schools Roundtable Meeting, 24-26 January, 2005. UNICEF and IRC International Water and Sanitation Center.

Burrows, Gideon, et al. (2004). Education Media Report. The Education Drain. WaterAid, p. 18.

O’Rielly, Ciara, Freeman, Matthew et al. (forthcoming). “The impact of a school-based safe water and hygiene program on knowledge and practices of students and their parents — Nyanza Province, western Kenya, 2006.” Epidemiology and Infection (in press)

Rosenfeld, Jason. 2006. “The role of school children in the diffusion of a point-of-use water treatment technique to households in Nyanza Province, Kenya.” Thesis, Emory University.

Snell, Marielle (2004) The Worth of School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE): Case Studies. International Water and Sanitation Research Center (IRC) Delft.

UNDP (2006) Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis. UNDP, p. 22.