‘Tubaki Shuleni Salama’ - Let’s Stay Safe at School
Between December 2020 and December 2021 the Livingstone Tanzania Trust (LTT) was involved in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme ‘Tubaki Shuleni Salama’ (Let’s Stay Safe at School) for the promotion of comprehensive hygiene and menstrual health education in three Babati schools. The programme led to the installation of appropriate toilet and handwashing facilities and contributed to increased awareness around the vital importance of good WASH practices within the three schools and the associated communities.
WHY A WASH PROGRAMME?
At LTT we know that childrens’ education is undermined by suboptimal WASH practices. Safe water, sanitation and good hygiene contribute to childrens’ health and development because they reduce the spread of diseases allowing children to miss fewer days at school and ultimately improve their productivity and learning abilities. For this reason, in the last two years we have embarked on a number of WASH programmes in Babati schools. (You can also read about the great success LTT has been achieving through the Mikono Salama (Safe Hands) programme here).
WHY IN BABATI?
Access to clean water and safely managed sanitation services is a global goal: the UN Sustainable Development Goal no 6 reads ‘Ensure access to water and sanitation for all’. And it is also a national Tanzanian target. Yet, capacity is limited.
According to the survey conducted before our intervention, 32 primary schools were located within Babati Town: of these, 23 had no handwashing facilities and not a single school had soap available for students to use; whilst only 9 schools had toilet facilities that accounted for the specific needs of girls with regards to the safe disposal of used menstrual products and girls' privacy while using the toilets. WHAT DID WE DO?The programme was delivered in partnership with Unlock a Child’s Potential (UaCP) and Maisha Capacity Development Opportunity (MCDO) and it aimed at:
providing and/or upgrading adequate and gender inclusive sanitation services;
strengthening the schools’ commitment towards hygiene practices through WASH Ambassadors and WASH Clubs;
ensuring that the programme was community-owned and the larger community would benefit from it.
WHAT DID WE ACHIEVE?
As of one year of its launch, the programme had a significant impact on schools’ WASH management and awareness. Across the three schools where the programme was operational, we:
installed 14 handwashing stations
renovated 29 toilet cubicles, including facilities for girls to change, wash and dispose of sanitary pads
established an emergency supply of sanitary pads in each of the three schools
trained 55 key community representatives as WASH Ambassadors
This accounts for a total of 980 children who now have access to improved handwashing and toilet facilities and to supportive hygiene education. Our exit survey revealed that:
98% of students think that the programme improved hygiene levels at their school and
92% of them also believe that the programme contributed to higher attendance at school.
However, the programme has also gone beyond the school. Students have shared their knowledge with parents and neighbours and there are now WASH ambassadors sharing the knowledge in the communities.
We predict that at its end, the programme had the potential to benefit an additional 3000 people across these three communities in Babati.
#educationmatters