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Abstract:
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Mchinji is one of the UNICEF supported districts in Malawi. UNICEF started supporting Mchinji District on Water and Environmental Sanitation activities in 2003 in STA Simphasi with the aim of reducing water and sanitation related diseases or conditions, which are very common in the peripheral areas. Since the vulnerable category of people are children and women, UNICEF in 2005 started scaling up the project schools in order to capture more children. In 2004/2005 we covered 10 schools and 30 villages. In each village we have provided 20 households with san plats for pit latrines, buckets, cups and soap for hand washing. In schools sanitary facilities had been built. In 2006 the target was 15 schools and 45 villages as part of scaling up the project; major activities were Capacity building to Extension workers, VHCs, Sanitation drama groups, Water Point Caretakers as well as Water Point committee members; Construction and rehabilitation of Water Points and Sanitary facilities in communities and schools, Operation, Maintenance and Management of WASH facilities. With the PHAST approach the community realized the importance of sanitation and hygiene. It is an open fact that poor sanitation and hygiene have resulted in negative impacts on the health status of the populace, education, trade and employment. Thus poor sanitation and hygiene continue to drain our national economy hence slowing down poverty eradication as enshrined in the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (MPRSP), which is now being called Malawi Growth Strategy Paper (MGSP). The effects of poor sanitation and hygiene specifically in schools have resulted in negative impacts on the learners due to increased dropout rates and absenteeism. It is against this background that Mchinji District Assembly with support from Unicef conducted the training of teachers on the promotion of the three key hygiene practices so as to complete the School WASH as a package. The targeted teachers were from the targeted schools for WASH activities in the district. Meaning that the school had been supplied with safe water point (a Borehole fitted with AFRIDEV hand pump, and sanitary facilities: gender sensitive and child friendly pit latrines and Hand Washing Facilities). |