SCHOOL WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) PROGRAM CONTINUES
School started again in Pignon at the Middle School where a small group, led by students, teachers, and parents, is the first in Haiti to do a community-led managed school WASH program, to serve its 414 students. It was championed last year by students, one of which said she hadn’t used the bathroom in 5 years at school because of the conditions. She said many other girls would also miss school if they had their period. She has now moved on to high school but said she is so proud to leave a legacy in her middle school for other girls. It is common in Haiti that girls who do not attend school during their monthly menstruation due to lack of clean water and sanitation, end up spending 25% of their time OUT of class, which oftentimes results in them dropping out of school entirely.
To keep the program sustainable, each student pays an annual fee of $3. They now have a system in place for cleaning and stocking as well as they set up a handwashing station, drinking water station, soap, toilet paper, and tampons. Kids and teens can now focus on their studies and not have to worry about using the bathroom or missing class to go home. They have now seen what community action can do. They have a vision to keep going and want to have solar flush toilets in the near future and reached out to us again for help. We remain committed to coaching the school committee to implement sustainable systems so that all students have access to clean water and proper sanitation and be an example to the rest of Haiti.
Our weekly coaching continues to provide staff, parents, and students with the tools to monitor and evaluate the program. Not only do students learn how to manage and troubleshoot WASH solutions, they also play an integral part in the data collection. Our coaches show students how to collect, record, discern data, and “sign off” on their work to verify it with a letter and a photo. This not only serves a critical purpose of monitoring the program but also builds leadership skills that will carry the students into other aspects of their lives.
