PARTNERS: FILTERS FOR SCHOOLS PROJECT TO EASE STUDENT ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER

Filters For Schools is a SPOUTS of Water and IDEAS For Uganda partnership project with primary focus on bringing clean water and clean water education to students without access. Priority is given to schools that currently have partial or no access to clean drinking water

Students of Hope Nursery and Primary School expressing their happiness upon receiving the filters

Project objectives.

· To enhance the knowledge and understanding of the relationship between clean water and health by schools and community stakeholders in Kampala city.

· To bring clean water and clean water education to students without access.

-To provide voluntary WASH education to students

· To contribute to the promotion of environmental conservation in Kampala city by November 2015 through promotion of clean methods of purifying water by substituting boiling water with charcoal, firewood, kerosene, with ceramic filters.

According to UN Water, Lack of access to safe drinking water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene are responsible for the majority of the 1.8 million annual deaths caused by diarrhea disease. Children under five are particularly affected. According to the WHO report, 884 million people do not use improved sources of drinking water. Over one third of those live in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, 40 per cent of people boil water for purification and many more do not treat water at all. In addition, wood harvest for domestic cooking and boiling water is one of the major causes of deforestation. The burning of wood not only damages the environment, but can also negatively impact human health. In addition, many women and children spend much of their time gathering fuel instead of putting that time toward more productive purposes.


IDEAS For Uganda's volunteer; Bbale Earnest offloading filters

The Filters For Schools Project was therefore initiated to address such challenges that hinder safe water access, especially by poor school going children in Uganda. It is also evident that; because the boiling of drinking water is so expensive and practically very difficult to boil daily so much water - boarding schools do not provide the drinking water - their students would need.

So far, we have donated filters to many students and our beneficiaries include the following schools;

Ø Busawula Primary School
Ø Kampala School For the Handicapped-Mengo
Ø Doors Primary school Namuwongo
Ø Light High School Kitebi
Ø Hope Nursery and Primary school kawempe
Ø Mboggo Grammar Primary school
Ø Rainbow Community School Nakawuka
Ø Kasubi Parents Primary School.

Our aim is to have every Ugandan student have access to at least one liter of safe drinking water. This will reduce their chances of contracting such diseases like Typhoid, Cholera, Diarrhea, etc and hence increase their school days.

Additionally, we believe that by using ceramic water filters to ease access to safe drinking water, we shall be reducing on the energy needs of boiling water and in a way, we are tackling deforestation.

Pupils of Mbogo Grammar dancing for the filters!!

CRITERIA FOR BECOMING A BENEFICIARY

1. Filling the FFS survey form (info on institution; challenges in view of drinking water; challenges with school fees payment, etc)

2. Review of applications by the FFS team

a). A protected environment for installation

b) Capability of beneficiary to manage and maintain the facilities

c). Capability and willingness of school administration parents for a sensitization workshop (ownership, awareness training, financial contribution where necessary)

d) Small school of about 250 students

3. Sufficient and permanent water supply

a) Rainwater harvesting

b) Pumping water from another source to a rainwater harvesting tank

c) Providing un-purified water with jerrycans