Rotary and Splash International partnered to reach 100% of government schools in Addis Ababa with a model water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) program, in order to improve children’s long-term health and development. The two organizations announced this during the Global Handwashing Day celebrated around the world on Thursday October 15.
From 2013-2016, Rotary Club Addis Ababa West worked with Splash in collaboration with Rotary Club Lake Union (United States) on two Global Grants to implement clean water and hygiene education programs at 26 schools. In 2017-2018, the two partnered to provide sanitation improvements at 11 of those schools. These improvements include toilet rehabilitation as well as new toilet and urinal construction to reach the student to toilet ratios of 1:70 for girls and 1:75 for boys.
These standards are based on international and Ethiopian standards for students to toilets, contextualized for the urban school environment. In total, together they have reached 42,582 students and staff with improved sanitation facilities, hygiene education and clean water.
With a new grant in 2019 – 2020, the two organizations provided WASH facilities including latrines, hand washing stations, and water storage tanks at 4 schools in Addis Ababa benefiting an additional 6,859 students.
Through this partnership, schools will benefit from Splash’s sustainability plan, which includes support, maintenance and monitoring. Rotarians and Rotaractors will play an active role in project planning, implementation and monitoring and worked closely with the Addis Ababa Education Bureau (AAEB) to ensure their commitment and support.