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Clean Water for Schools Program spotlight:
Revisiting Uthanya Primary School – two years later…
By George Yap, Program Director
Water, water, water.
Water is life.
Without it there will be no life.
Without it,
Mankind and plants will come to an end.
(a poem recited by students from Uthanya Primary School, Western Kenya)
In 2003 WaterCan began working with the local non-governmental organization Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO) to provide water supply and sanitation services to poor communities in rural areas of Siaya District in Western Kenya. Central to these efforts was assisting local primary schools. In early 2006, I had the opportunity to revisit one of the schools, Uthanya Primary School, to see how things were progressing. Upon arriving, I was warmly greeted by Head Teacher Paul Okelo, whom I had met two years previously. Established by the local community in 1973, the modest school has eight mud-walled classrooms. It currently has over 300 pupils taught by seven dedicated teachers.
As we toured the school, Mr. Okelo explained that the development of water and sanitation facilities has created a tremendously positive learning environment for the children. Previously, the school had only two run-down latrines for boys and girls. As a result, pupils wasted a good part of their school day queuing to use them. The older pupils often chose to use the surrounding bush, upsetting the school’s neighbours. The construction of four new ventilated improved pit latrines has greatly improved the situation.
Water was also a big challenge facing the school. Previously, pupils and teachers had to draw water from a polluted stream about two kilometres away, taking precious time and energy from learning and teaching. With the construction of a new 40,000-litre rainwater tank, this is no longer necessary. I learned that even during the prolonged drought that affected the region in late 2005, by carefully managing water usage, the school’s rainwater tank never ran dry. The formation of a school health club has also helped promote good hygiene practices among pupils such as washing hands after using the latrines.
During the prolonged drought that affected the region in late 2005, by carefully managing water usage, the school’s rainwater tank never ran dry.
Students at Uthanya Primary School in front of a 40,000-litre rainwater tank.
Since the water supply and sanitation facilities were installed 18 months ago, Mr. Okelo believes they have greatly helped improve the academic performance of Uthanya’s pupils. In his modest dirt floor office, the head teacher proudly showed me the school’s official performance ranking in the annual district examinations, which improved from 218th to 196th. This is an especially impressive achievement considering Uthanya’s large class sizes, and the fact that even the most basic school supplies such as paper and pencils are often in short supply. Mr. Okello adds that with these improvements the students’ parents and the general community are more keen to support the school because they see, more than ever, how doing so will help their children gain the skills for a better future.
Performance in the annual district examinations improved remarkably when students gained access to clean water and sanitation facilities.