Water and Sanitation
Every child should have access to clean water and well constructed toilets at school.
Without access to clean water at school, children can be forced to walk miles to get a drink and wash. They often have to drink dirty water from swamps, which can make them ill with diseases like cholera. They end up missing lessons, and falling behind in class.
Children also struggle without good toilets at school. Toilets are often makeshift - their plastic walls fall down in the wind, they overflow and cannot be emptied, and some start sinking into the ground. We believe that no child should have to survive in these conditions.
We're drilling boreholes and building toilets at schools, so that children can focus on their learning.
It sounds simple, but this means everything for a child's dignity at school.
Edward's Story
Edward is a student from Ngoro in Uganda.
"Before we would have to drink the swamp water since the borehole was far. The swamp water was dirty and making us sick, some children would fall sick with cholera disease and fail to come to school.
"I was sick and had to miss four days while being treated. Most of my friends have also fallen ill."
We've built a new borehole at Edward's school, so he can enjoy a clean drink of water without worrying about getting ill and missing lessons.
Help children like Edward stay in school
Toilet Transformation
Curious about just how much of an impact new toilets can make? On the left you can see the old toilets at a school we are working with in Masindi, Uganda. They are overflowing, falling apart and sinking into the ground.
Luckily, children at the school don't have to use them anymore, as we've built the brand new toilets on the right! They sit on a special tank that is dug into the ground and can be emptied when it starts to fill up. The strong foundations and walls mean that the toilets won't become damaged or sink into the ground.
Harriet, a teacher at the school, said: "I thank Build Africa for giving us the latrines. We had old latrines and they were not safe. Now there is privacy, and the girls do not fear being embarassed when on their periods because they can wash in the bathing room."
Find out more about how clean water is helping girls stay in school.
Provide water and toilets for children
*The average jerry can, a container for water collection, weighs over 40lbs when full
*Fewer than 1/3 people in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to a proper toilet
*In Sub-Saharan Africa, a trip to collect water takes 33 minutes on average
To find out more about all of the Street Child projects head to the Street Child website, What we do.
