School Water Sanitation and Hygiene + Community Impact

School Water Sanitation and Hygiene + Community Impact (SWASH+)

SWASH+ Programme, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has been working in close collaboration with the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education in implementing sustainable and scaling up school WASH in Nyanza.

SWASH+ has been involved in the development of the national WASH strategy coordinated by the Ministry of Education (School Infrastructure Investment Unit). So far the programme has enhanced access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in 285 primary schools (estimated beneficiaries 99,750 pupils: Girls 48,880 and boys 50,870) in four districts (Nyando, Rachuonyo, Suba and Kisumu) in Nyanza Province through applied research.

The programme promotes learning initiatives and continues to identify enhanced strategies for improving the sustenance of water and sanitation to primary schools in Nyanza and the country as a whole.

In its current strategic direction, the program intends to work with Ministry of Education (MOE) to identify and test ways that the significant investment planned for schools under the KESSP water, sanitation and hygiene investment programme can be made efficient, cost effective and sustainable at every level of implementation.

Since September 2006, SWASH+ has worked in 285 primary schools in four districts in Nyanza Province, gathering data, learning about challenges and testing solutions for school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The programme aims at providing water sources such as boreholes or rainwater harvesting systems, give schools chlorine solution for water treatment, build latrines, provide handwashing facilities and train schools, teachers and pupils on best practices for school WASH such as water treatment and latrine maintenance.

SWASH+ is composed of CARE International, Emory University, Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Water Partners International and Kenya Water and Health Organization.

For more information on these project, please contact Project Coordinator Peter Waka in CARE International in Kenya, Tel 254-057-2020010