International Development Grant
East Africa School Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program
Project Number: CA-3-S065423001
Status: Closed
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $5,187,061.00
Start Date: June 14, 2012
End Date: January 31, 2018
Duration: 5.6 years
Project Description
The project addresses the need to improve poor water and sanitation conditions common to many schools in poor rural and urban East Africa. Project activities support water and sanitation facility construction community participation gender equality environmental sustainability and capacity-building to local partner organisations. It assists 183 primary schools in Ethiopia Uganda and Kenya over a 60 month period. All water supply and sanitation facilities are constructed on school ground/property and are complemented by hygiene education planned and implemented in collaboration with students teachers and their communities. At each school a School Management Committee is formed and trained to ensure the operation and maintenance of the new systems and to help the promotion and application of good hygiene practices at the school and in their homes. The direct beneficiaries are 128 600 students teachers and school staff. Indirect beneficiaries include 300 000 parents care givers and other household members of the school community. NGO partners are: Cheshire Foundation Action for Inclusion/CFAI (Ethiopia) Rural Community Development Organisation/COWDO (Ethiopia) Oromo Self-Reliance Association/OSRA (Ethiopia) Water Action/WACT (Ethiopia) Kenya Water for Health Organisation/KWAHO (Kenya) Sustainable Aid in Africa International/SANA (Kenya) Community Integrated Development Initiatives/CIDI (Uganda) Voluntary Action for Development/VAD (Uganda) Joint Effort to Save the Environment/JESE (Uganda).
Expected Results
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: 183 primary schools in Ethiopia Kenya and Uganda with potable water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities that meet the local statutory requirements and the demands of girls boys women and men; increased initiative and responsibility taken within target schools and their host community to both manage school WASH facilities and improve health and hygiene awareness of girls boys women and men in the schools and the surrounding community; improved effectiveness and gender responsiveness of WaterCan’s local partners to design and implement school-based WASH programming.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved by the School WASH Program (SWASH) in Ethiopia Kenya and Uganda as of December 2017 include: (1) 170 primary schools benefited from water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions such as rainwater harvesting tanks boreholes protected springs hygienic latrines for boys and girls washing rooms waste disposal facilities menstrual hygiene management and drinking water fountains or points; (2) vulnerability to preventable hygiene and sanitation-related health problems was reduced among 124 789 students teachers and school staff including 240 000 indirect beneficiaries who are parents caregivers and other household members; (3) School Management Committees were formed and trained at each school to ensure that the operation and maintenance of the new systems was effective and sustainable and to help the promotion and application of good hygiene practices at the school and at home; and (4) hygiene education and awareness-raising sessions were held for girls boys parents caregivers and teachers to integrate gender equality and environmental aspects. Results after the final evaluation: Of the 27 schools assessed 23 (85%) had a functional water supply. 100% of schools are open defecation free (18% at baseline). 100% of schools have access to an improved source of water. 85% of schools have improved drinking water available at least 90% of the time. The national guideline for the number of toilets per the number of girls was met in 62% of schools exceeding the target of 60% and for boys the guideline number was met in 72% of schools exceeding the target of 50%.
Key Information
Executing Agency:
WaterCan
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
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Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP