This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION. 
This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.
Location
This project summary has been redacted for security reasons to omit the specific project location.
Xxxxxx, Tenta Woreda, South Wello, East Amhara, Ethiopia
Community Description
Xxxxxx is considered the central town in the Tenta region of East Amhara, Ethiopia, and is surrounded by six other communities. As the central town, it holds the only source of secondary education for the town of Xxxxxx and all of the surrounding six communities.
Due to the large community capacity of the area, Xxxxxx High School is ranked as the number one provider of education in the entire zone of South Wello. It supports the education of 3,221 students (1,385 female), 131 teachers, and 16 administrative staff.
Problem Addressed
Xxxxxx High School is deficient in the hygienic latrine and washes facilities, especially for the female students.
The high school age is a particularly trying time for female students and this is the critical juncture, in their educational experience, where it has been shown that they tend to fall behind in their classwork, attendance starts to decline, and drop-out rates increase. One reason for this decline is the lack of support at the school level when they have their monthly menstruation.
Currently, Xxxxxx High School only has one latrine, with four stalls, for the entire population of the 1,385 female students. This lack of a sufficient latrine facility and water source, for cleaning menstrual pads, is one deterrent for the attendance of female students.
Project Description
The aim of this project is to construct one latrine and one hygienic wash facility for the female students of Xxxxxx High School.
The latrine will be comprised of eight stalls and a wash facility for the female students to use to wash their menstrual pads and to stay clean.
The project will also provide a water source for the school garden.
The PCV will work in conjunction with the Education Bureau, Youth Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, Water Bureau, and the High School administration to supervise the construction of the facility and to provide Perma garden training and nutrition training.
Water Charity funds will pay for the materials and skilled labor. The community will provide local materials and unskilled labor.
Project Impact
1,385 female students will benefit directly from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
S. Alemayehu
Monitoring and Maintenance
The school administrative team will add the expenses for the new bathroom facility to their yearly budget, and pay for continued maintenance.
Funds from the school garden will help pay for the upkeep and the purchase of provisions.
Let Girls Learn
This project addresses the need for girls to have safe and sanitary bathroom facilities and creates a situation where it is easier for them to go to and remain in school. Thus, it comes under the Let Girls Learn program.
This project has been paid for by an anonymous donor.
Conclusion of High School Latrine Project – Ethiopia
This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Saba Alemayehu. To read about the start of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project was designed to construct a latrine and hygienic wash facility for the female students at the school.
Saba reports:
The high school latrine is complete! The aim of this project was to construct a latrine and a hygienic wash facility for the female students of Adjibar High School. The latrine comprises of 6 stalls and two wash facilities for the female students to use to wash their hands, their reusable menstrual pads and to stay clean if menstrual leakage occurs.
The bathroom has a total of six sinks with running water for consistent hygienic use and the female students were also trained on WASH and Menstrual Hygiene Management by myself and the Carter Center. The project was carried out and funded by community contributions and Water Charity’s funding. The High School Administrative and myself supervised the construction of the latrine and a new budget was adapted into the high school’s overall budget for the continued maintenance of the bathroom.
Below is an outline of the project timeframe. It took a bit longer than anticipated as the rainy season started during the beginning stages of construction. Once the facility was complete, we had a walkthrough with the female students and the gender club co-coordinator explaining the use of the bathroom and the “dignity” rooms. The female students were overwhelmed that someone would put a lot of effort into what they needed and were extremely happy. Lastly, we had a coffee ceremony, put on by the high school, to celebrate the completion and thank all of the participating bureaus for their contributions.
Overall, though it took more time than anticipated, the school and the students are very happy with the construction and the trainings provided to them to help them achieve higher attendance and promote gender equality in their town.
| Pick up materials from the regional capital |
| Meeting with Gender Clubs teachers and students to talk about bathroom facilities. |
| Meeting with School Principal, Gender Teachers, CP, and Sector Leader from the Youth Bureau to discuss a potential project and gain buy-in, identify key stakeholders |
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Meet with potential stakeholders and ask for support /donations |
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Meeting with Education Bureau and Zonal Bureau for facility plan and environmental plan and the secure deadline for facility plan |
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Received Facility plan and start working on budget expenses |
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Finish grant and final expense sheet for grant submission |
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Find out about grant funding and select contractor bid |
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Finalize Mason and Contractor Bid and Start Construction |
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End of construction, Final check on construction and Last payment |
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Monitoring and Evaluation of female follow up questions |
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WASH training with Carter Center |
We extend our thanks to Saba for completing this important project.
