Broken sanitation facilities with no access to clean water make it difficult for students to enjoy a clean and safe environment in Maputo’s schools. Following years of working in individual schools, a new strategy developed by WSUP and the city council aims to help schools across the city defend against Covid-19 and other diseases.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools is crucial to guarantee good hygiene practices and prevent the spread of the virus. Access to these basic services makes a huge difference to children’s ability to attend school, learn and stay healthy.
In Maputo, poor sanitation facilities in schools have made it difficult for students to enjoy a clean and safe environment. Primary school student Ala Cossa said, “We didn’t have soap, we didn’t have running water. We had to go to the toilet with our personal water bottle to wash our hands.”
Edmundo Ribeiro, Maputo City Councillor for Education and Sport remarked, “One of our strategic goals is to ensure a quality education to primary school students. To ensure quality education, it’s important to create improved infrastructure in water, sanitation and hygiene.”
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Work in Maputo’s schools has been supported by funders including the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (now The Sanitation & Hygiene Fund) and Wasser fΰr Wasser.
Read more about our work in Mozambique