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Dar es Salaam, TZ – SAWA initiates Phase 3 of School WASH improvements in Temeke Municipality – 30 Mar 2017

SAWA - 2017Q1 - Community MeetingSAWA is continuing their work improving school Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Temeke Municipality. The fourth quarter of 2016 marked Phase 3 and will take one year to complete. Phase 3 will improve the quality and quantity of drinking water and sanitation facilities for 15,521 students at eight primary schools. The phase includes activities like training and awareness building as well as construction projects like building toilets, rehabilitating boreholes, and improving handwashing facilities.

In the final fourth quarter of 2016 SAWA staged their work by conducting awareness and planning meetings at each school. These meetings achieved the following objectives:

  • Schools agreed to contribute funds for operations and maintenance
  • Schools opened special bank accounts for water and sanitation projects
  • Parents agreed to contribute labor to reduce project costs
  • Each school was assessed on a scale of A, B, C, or D for the quality of their existing sanitation infrastructure

SAWA - 2017Q1 - Borehole FlushingSAWA also held orientation training sessions with local technical teams to share project designs and discuss design, budget, schedule, roles, and responsibilities. Teachers and school administrators were given orientation courses as well to introduce key hygiene concepts such as proper hand washing and WASH infrastructure best practices.

School WASH construction projects got underway towards the end of the first quarter. Construction projects included:

  • Foundations were completed for eleven out of sixteen toilet blocks
  • 6 septic tanks were started and are now 60% complete
  • Boreholes were flushed in all 8 schools
  • 1 new well was drilled to provide clean drinking water
  • 11 water points and 2 tank towers were constructed

After a busy first quarter, SAWA is looking forward to continuing to make progress at all 8 schools. Next steps for the project include:

  • Continue with construction of new toilet blocks
  • Begin rehabilitation of existing toilet blocks at 5 schools
  • Extend pipe water into toilet blocks and install plumbing
  • Continue with construction of new water points
  • Continue planning operations and maintenance activities to sustain the projects