Potable water now flows for Nforya children

Water facilities in schools are a major problem throughout Africa. Without adequate facilities, for many children the right to education and health are put at risk. Diarrhea, typhoid and other related diseases arise from the consumption of unsafe water and result in high child mortality, but also school absence and drop out.

Plan Cameroon took action to alleviate this problem for the 2500 people of the Nforya village and especially its 1110 children.

When defining the most important development projects needed in the community, children and adults prioritised the issue of the lack of potable water and helped to instigate these changes.

With the newly-constructed well and hand pump, children from the primary school in Nforya no longer have to fetch water from long distant streams where community members do laundry and animals drink. To prevent diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery and other related water borne diseases, 30 pupils were schooled for three days on the Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST), helping them to learn how to inform peers and parents on safe health and hygiene practices related to use of water.

Patrick, one of the children said: “I learnt that three people should not wash their hands in one bowl of water, they should pour the water using a cup. When I want to eat I should wash my hands with soap”.

At the end of the workshop, all the pupils were encouraged to teach their classmates and members of their community. With the assistance of Plan, the children water management committee was formed to manage the well during school period.

Emma said: “With the training, I now know how to keep my dresses clean and not to defecate inside water”.