Health
"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
There are many barriers which prevent young people from accessing education and health is a less visible one.
Rural primary schools in Tanzania face health challenges from poor sanitation leading to waterborne illnesses, limited access to trained staff and resources for basic care, significant undernutrition and its cognitive impacts, and inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities contributing to absenteeism. These issues are exacerbated by insufficient funding for health services and infrastructure, creating barriers to learning and overall well-being for students.
The Challenges
The poor sanitation and lack of, or limited access to, water often results in inadequate toilets leading to high levels of waterborne illnesses. The fear of using the toilets can also lead to children refraining from eating or drinking which can lead to dehydration, urinary tract infections and of course hunger. All of which are enemies to learning. Girls are less unlikely to attend school when on their periods due to lack of a safe space to look after themselves.
Schools often lack the funds to provide soap and sanitary products
Malnutrion from poor and/or insufficient diet can impact on physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development.
Our Strategy
Out Stratey is to tackle both the infrastructure challenges being faced within the schools and the lack of awareness levels surrounding menstraution, diet and hand hygiene. Our approach is to tackle taboo subjects with sensitivity and facts.
Our Programmes
Hand Hygiene.
Over the pandemic we installed hand washing facilities in schools all across Babati, provided kick start soap supplies and taught teachers of the importance of hand hygiene so that they can pass it on to their students. Knowing how and when to wash your hands is so important when student play in the fields and eat with their hands. Diarrhoea is a significant health issue among children in Tanzania, it is considered a leading cause of child mortality, with prevalence rates varying but often reported to be around 12% among children under five years old; poor sanitation, inadequate access to clean water, and improper hygiene practices are major contributing factors to this problem. If we are able to instil hand washing as the behavioural norm, it can effect future generations.
Toilets
When children fear to use the toilet facilities it causes anxiety, they reduce their water and food intake which can lead to dehydration, urinary tract infections and hunger. Girls might opt not to come to school when menstruating. Absence from school means kids fall behind, their motivation declines as their frustration increases. Poor toilets leads to a fall in academic performance.
It is not unreasonable to expect that the toilet facilities of all schools meet the needs of the users, and we must recognise that girls and boys and those with physical disabilities all have different needs that must be met.
Our toilets are student designed and student approved and those same students are required to maintain them. All new female toilet blocks have rooms for girls to mange their periods, wash clothes and hands separately and safely dispose of used sanatory products through an incinerator.
Collection and storage of rainwater provides free water for flushing and cleaning, while mains water provides water for hand washing. Soap and emergency pads are provided by the school.
We have upgraded toilets at primary schools in Waangwaray, Sinai, Sawe, Managha, Malangi, Bambay, Haraa, Ziwani, Daghaloi, Singno, and secondary schools at FT Sumaye, Mutuka, Babati Day, Komoto,
Menstrual Hygiene
This often taboo subject is managed with great sensitivity. Menstruation is a natural and normal biological function of the female reproductive system, driven by hormonal changes in the body that occur cyclically each month, preparing the uterus for potential pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, the lining of the uterus sheds, resulting in menstrual bleeding - making it an integral part of the body's reproductive cycle. This biological, emotional and practical issues surrounding menstruation are poorly taught in schools and misinformation abounds. Our project educates community influencers, teachers, school leaders, boys and girls and helps to establish hygiene clubs where girls can support each other. We ask the community to fund emergency pads for the schools.
Diet.
Our Sustainable Livelihoods Programme can influence food security and therefore impact diet at home. One of the T&Cs of partnering with us is a requirement that the community ensure the provision of a lunchtime meal for all students.
We also encourage schools to establish and run market garden projects that can enhance the nutritional value of the meals. This has been done at Waangwaray, Managha, Malangi, Oldenderti, and Gendi. Other locations lack water and/or space.
A lunchtime meal boosts energy levels and teachers report far greater afternoon attendance and engagement, which helps them get through the lessons plans.
We recognise that the provision of a lunchtime meals requires energy and that this comes from firewood. For this reason we support, as a bare minimum, the installation of fuel efficient stoves and provide training for the cooks. When we can we upgrade these stoves to greater levels of efficiency. We have also built food and firewood stores and provided PICS bags to safely secure the food that has been contributed