At times you may not think so, but attending school is a privilege!  It is a fact that people who receive an education are able to earn more and enjoy a better standard of living. 

If you are like most Canadian students you take the bus, get a ride, or walk a short distance to school.  When you get there, you are able to drink fresh, clean water from fountains, wash your hands in the sink and use the washroom facilities without a second thought. 

But in Africa, and elsewhere in the developing world, things are very different.  Many schools do not have clean water, let alone sanitation facilities (toilets/latrines)! 

When there is no water and no latrines schools can be a place that causes sickness for both students and teachers.  Hundreds of millions of school-aged children suffer from water and sanitation related diseases – many are too sick to attend school.  A dirty and unhygienic school environment discourages students from attending their classes, and the best teachers are less likely to work at a school that does not have proper water supply and sanitation facilities.  

Improving this situation will contribute to better attendance and educational achievement among students.  Also, schools are great places to teach good personal hygiene practices in creative ways including posters, story telling, dramas, and songs.  Better still, children often bring this new knowledge home and share the practices with their parents and other family members.

YOU can make a difference, school by school