Project title- Empowering School Children through Access to Clean Water,
Hygiene Education, and Mobility in Kagera Region, Tanzania
Organization- KWA WAZEE
Introduction: Kwa Wazee (Kiswahili meaning “elderly people”) is a non-profit
organization begun in 2003 in Muleba District of Tanzania by grandmothers raising
children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The organization works in the rural areas of Tanzania
most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It facilitates neighborhood groups to
strengthen health prevention and care as well as physical and legal security.
In parallel to the support groups for elderly people, Kwa Wazee began the Tatu Tano
(Kiswahili meaning “three to five”) child-led organization in 2008 to provide support for
their grandchildren. The first Tatu Tano group began with 133 children. Tatu Tano has
grown tremendously during the past 14 years to include more than 2600 members (63%
girls and 37% boys) ages 5-17 years who work together in 450 small groups. Most of
the children live with their grandmothers. They elect their leaders and select projects to
generate income. Tatu Tano members also participate in personal development
workshops to learn self-defense, gender respect, prevention of gender-based violence,
leadership, life skills, cooperation, dealing with conflicts, building self-confidence, and
financial literacy.
Kwa Wazee believes that empowering communities, especially the young generation
will aim to achieve sustainable development goals. As we are working with communities
to support their sustainable development, we aim to develop community livelihood
resilience interventions that will build community capacity to respond to the emerging
challenges in their community.
Main Aims- Educational support, Economic empowerment and health, Protection
against and prevention of violence, Climate change mitigation.
Project Background and Need: In 2015, a set of targets was outlined and agreed to
by 193 countries in the United Nations Sustainable Goals (SDGs) Charta. Goal 6 of the
SDGs aims to, “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
for all.” Yet in so many African countries including Tanzania, only 61% of households in
Tanzania currently have access to a basic water supply, 32% have access to basic
sanitation, and 48% have access to basic hygiene, according to SDG definitions, a
report from World Bank.
Tanzania faces significant challenges in providing access to clean water, especially in
rural areas where many schools are located. According to UNICEF, only 50% of schools
in Tanzania have access to basic water services, highlighting the urgent need for
intervention. A recent report of 2022 by UNICEF provides shocking data on schools: 38
percent of primary schools have no water supply on school premises; 84 percent don’t
have functioning hand-washing facilities; 96 percent of schools lack accessible sanitary
facilities for disabled children; and 52 percent do not have doors on toilets to ensure
privacy for girls. According to another Borgen Project article (2019), 84% of primary
schools did not have hand-washing facilities at all. That is around 2,697 schools. This
causes children to contract diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, and acute respiratory
infections.
Like other regions, Kagera region in Tanzania faces significant challenges related to
access to clean water and sanitation facilities, especially in schools. Many schools lack
basic WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure, leading to poor hygiene
practices, waterborne diseases, and absenteeism among students, particularly girls.
Furthermore, the long distances girls have to travel to school contribute to high dropout
rates and low academic performance. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry
of Education, only 40% of schools in Kagera have access to safe drinking water, and
less than 30% have adequate sanitation facilities. This situation disproportionately
affects girls, who often miss school during menstruation due to the lack of proper
facilities and hygiene education. Additionally, the long and unsafe journeys to school
increase the risk of dropout and limit the time available for studies.
Project Objectives
1. Improve access to clean sanitation facilities in 2 primary schools in the Kagera
region.
2. Provide comprehensive hygiene education to students, and teachers in the targeted
10 primary schools and around communities reaching 7000 children.
3. Distribute bicycles to 100 school girls from 10 secondary schools to reduce travel
time, improve school attendance and performance, and protect them from violence.
4. Monitor and evaluate the impact of improved WASH facilities and bicycle distribution
on school attendance and academic performance.
Proposed Plan:
1. Schools Assessment and Planning Meeting:
- Conduct a needs assessment to identify schools with the most critical WASH
infrastructure gaps.
- Engage local stakeholders, including school administrators, community leaders, and
parents, to gain support and input for the project.
- Conduct teachers' workshops on WASH education replication to students
2. Infrastructure Development:
- Build an 8-stance toilet in a school with many children and fewer toilets by ensuring
they are gender-segregated and equipped with hand-washing stations.
3. Hygiene Education:
-Conduct community meetings and school awareness campaigns on hygiene education
4. Bicycle Distribution:
- Procure and distribute 100 bicycles to school girls traveling far from and to schools.
- Provide training to beneficiaries on bicycle maintenance and safety.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation:
-Videos and Photo documentation before, during, and after project execution
- Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress and
measure the impact of the project.
- Conduct regular surveys and focus group discussions to gather feedback from
beneficiaries
Target Beneficiaries:
- 6,000 students (3,000 girls and 3,000 boys) in 10 schools.
- 100 school girls receiving bicycles.
- Teachers and school staff in the targeted schools.
-Communities around schools
Sustainability Plan: To ensure the project's sustainability, partnerships with local
authorities, community members, and relevant stakeholders will be established.
Additionally, capacity-building initiatives will be implemented to empower school staff to
maintain the water facilities and continue hygiene education efforts.
Expected Outcomes:
1. Increased access to clean and safe water within schools and households
2. Improved knowledge and practice of proper hygiene among students and the
community
3. Reduction in waterborne diseases and absenteeism rates.
4. Enhanced overall well-being and academic performance of students
5. Reduced school dropouts and violence among girls
6. Girls confidence improved through Menstrual hygiene management training and
the provision of sanitary materials
Project Budget.
Items Cost (TZS) Cost (USD)
School Assessment Meeting and 1,100,000 440
Planning
Teachers' workshop on WASH 3,650,000 1,460
Construction of 8-stance toilet 37,900,000 15,160
School awareness campaign 6,200,000 2,480
Bicycle Procurement and Distribution 11,200,000 4,480
Project Administration 11,500,000 4,600
Total 71,550,000 28,620
