Overview of School Sanitation and Hygiene Education in Developing Countries

Year of publication: 2002

Introduction

Over the next generation, what should life be like on our earth? A vision of what could - and should-be achieved was developed by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, following consultations around the world with people in communities, in NGOs, professional organisations and governments. Vision 21, as it is called , describes a future for water, sanitation and hygiene that could be like this by 2025:

Virtually every man, woman and child on the planet knows the importance of hygiene and enjoys safe and adequate water and sanitation. People work closely with local government and non-governmental organisations to manage water and sanitation systems so as to meet basic needs while protecting the environment…. Everywhere in the world, people live in clean and healthy environments. Communities and governments benefit from the resulting improved health and the related economic development (Vision 21, vi, 2000)

The children of today will be the adults of 2025, central to this vision of the future. By focusing on children today, by giving them tools and knowledge to change behaviours today, future generations can be stronger and healthier.

Despite all the progress reported world-wide in recent decades, more then 2,3 billion people still live without access to sanitation facilities and are unable to practise such basic hygiene as washing their hands with soap and water. Diseases related to poor sanitation and water availability cause many people to fall ill or even die. Children are the most vulnerable to health hazards and consequently are affected the most. In 1998 2,2 million people died because of diarrhoeal diseases, of which the vast majority were children. In addition poor sanitation has led to the infestation of nearly a billion people - largely children - with a verity of worm infections, with its corresponding cost in health and energy. It is obvious that lack of sanitation and hygiene is a public disaster that deserves the highest priority.

One of the major problems faced by hundreds of millions school aged children is infection by parasites and flukes. These parasites consume nutrients from children they infect, bringing about or aggravating malnutrition and retarding children's physical development. They also destroy tissues and organs in which they live causing pain and various health problems. Water and sanitation related diseases affecting children include diarrhoea, trachoma. Schistosomiasis, scabies and Guinea worm. All of these have compromise children's attendance and performance at school and, not uncommonly, can result in death.

conclusion

As this is a draft working paper, a number of overall concluding remarks have been made below. However it should be noted that this is not an exclusive list but rather cites some important issues which should be considered for those involved in SSHE. These include a need for:

• More focus on the major links between school sanitation and hygiene education and development. If SSHE continues to improve, various healths, social and economic benefits would also accrue. Besides the number of deaths which would be avoided, children will have the chance for a better education. Increasing number and standard of school latrine facilities would decrease the dropout rates especially for adolescent girls. Together, these improvements would also result in increased personal dignity and a greater sense of national pride. No other single intervention could do so much to improve health and socio-economic development.
• More research in needed to solve the following SSHE problems specifically regarding
• Hygiene promotion techniques which emphasis the role of the child. Until now little research exists focusing on the various types of techniques which could be used to promote hygiene education specifically related to the school child.
• Technical designs for difficult water and sanitation conditions as some schools require special attention due to high water table areas, hard-rock areas or other difficult topographical issues. More focus should also be placed on recycling options for excreta, solid and liquid wastes at schools. In addition a focus needs to be placed on developing participatory tools which are specifically meant for schools to assist in participatory decision making and management at schools.

More emphasis on national level work on legislation, policy and guidelines which should focus on increasinginter-sectoral collaboration between the various stakeholders in SSHE. This would include research and development in SSHE, technical designs and hygiene promotion techniques.

As a final remark it should also be stated that this paper continues to be developed further based on on-going SSHE research and literature which will add to this evolving paper on SSHE.

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