Project
Mahola Mixed Secondary School
Project Complete!
Mahola Mixed Secondary School began in 2012 with just fifteen students in total. For two years, the nascent secondary school was housed within a single classroom located at Mahola Primary School. In 2014, the national government through the County Development Funds built four unique classrooms for the secondary school on their own land adjacent to the primary school. Today, the secondary school serves 120 students and 16 teachers and staff with several more classrooms and buildings since established on their property. As a community engagement and service activity, the students participate in a monthly cleaning of the nearby Mahola Market.
The only water source at Mahola Secondary is a seasonal well. That means that each dry season, in addition to whenever the well dries up simply from a high daily rate of use, the school has to purchase water from vendors whose sources are unknown and assumed to be unsafe. The school sometimes asks students to bring water from home, which is a particular challenge for high school students who need to come to school with many books.
“I hate when I have to bring water from home. It’s cumbersome for me,” said student Felicia.
When students bring water from home, they often arrive to class already tired from the burdensome walk. During the day, when students are sent back out for more water, classtime is interrupted and students’ academic performance suffers. Sometimes students choose to skip their afternoon lessons just so that they do not have to fetch water again.
When the school runs out of water, all aspects of school life are affected. Basic hygiene and sanitation including handwashing and washing the latrines have to be sacrificed, and the school’s lunch program gets disrupted.
“It’s a challenge for me as a deputy principal when the food program delays as there is unrest and murmuring, and a delay in school programs,” explained Dalton Omuto.
Stomach-related diseases are commonly reported among students here, driving high rates of absenteeism. The school suspects the water students find along the way to school, and the water from the vendors, is to blame.
When students bring water from home, they often arrive to class already tired from the burdensome walk. During the day, when students are sent back out for more water, classtime is interrupted and students’ academic performance suffers. Sometimes students choose to skip their afternoon lessons just so that they do not have to fetch water again.
When the school runs out of water, all aspects of school life are affected. Basic hygiene and sanitation including handwashing and washing the latrines have to be sacrificed, and the school’s lunch program gets disrupted.
“It’s a challenge for me as a deputy principal when the food program delays as there is unrest and murmuring, and a delay in school programs,” explained Dalton Omuto.
Stomach-related diseases are commonly reported among students here, driving high rates of absenteeism. The school suspects the water students find along the way to school, and the water from the vendors, is to blame.
What We Can Do:
Rain Tank
A 75,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will help alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, bricks, rocks, and water for mixing cement. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans, tools, hardware, and the guttering system. Once finished, this tank will begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
We and the school strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve standards at this school, which will help lead to better student academic performance and will help to unlock the potential for these students to live better, healthier lives.
Handwashing Stations
There is currently nowhere for students to wash their hands after using the latrines or before eating lunch, let alone the water to do so.
The student health club will oversee the 2 new handwashing stations we will provide, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The club leaders will fill the handwashing stations with water daily and make sure they are always supplied with a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.
VIP Latrines
We will construct 2 triple-door latrine blocks using local materials that the school will help gather. 3 doors will serve the girls while the other 3 will serve the boys. All of these new latrines will have cement floors that are designed to be easy to use and to clean. And with a rain tank right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.
Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19, and More
We will hold a 1-day intensive training session with students, teachers, and parents. This training will cover a wide range of topics including COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention; personal and environmental hygiene; and the operation and maintenance of the rain tank, latrines, and handwashing stations. There will be a special emphasis on handwashing.
Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train, including participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, and asset-based community development. We will initiate a student health club, which will prepare students to lead other pupils into healthy habits at school and at home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions, and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good hygiene practices within the school including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.
Rain Tank
A 75,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will help alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, bricks, rocks, and water for mixing cement. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans, tools, hardware, and the guttering system. Once finished, this tank will begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
We and the school strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve standards at this school, which will help lead to better student academic performance and will help to unlock the potential for these students to live better, healthier lives.
Handwashing Stations
There is currently nowhere for students to wash their hands after using the latrines or before eating lunch, let alone the water to do so.
The student health club will oversee the 2 new handwashing stations we will provide, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The club leaders will fill the handwashing stations with water daily and make sure they are always supplied with a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.
VIP Latrines
We will construct 2 triple-door latrine blocks using local materials that the school will help gather. 3 doors will serve the girls while the other 3 will serve the boys. All of these new latrines will have cement floors that are designed to be easy to use and to clean. And with a rain tank right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.
Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19, and More
We will hold a 1-day intensive training session with students, teachers, and parents. This training will cover a wide range of topics including COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention; personal and environmental hygiene; and the operation and maintenance of the rain tank, latrines, and handwashing stations. There will be a special emphasis on handwashing.
Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train, including participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, and asset-based community development. We will initiate a student health club, which will prepare students to lead other pupils into healthy habits at school and at home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions, and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good hygiene practices within the school including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.
0.384097 latitude, 34.568788 longitude
H2O for Life is not a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project implementer. We have partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing WASH in Schools projects around the world. Our NGO partners match funds needed for each school project. We also have a generous donor that provides us with an interest-free loan that, along with matching funds, allows for many projects to be started or possibly even completed before total funds have been raised. In rare situations we reserve the right to reallocate funds to alternate project(s).
Questions? Ask us at 651-756-7577 or info@h2oforlifeschools.org.
Project Sponsors
February 4, 2022
Mahola School Project Complete!
Mahola Mixed Secondary School in Kenya now has access to a new source of safe, clean water thanks to the completion of their rain tank! We installed new latrines and...
