By Kathryn Francis | Programmes and Office Assistant
Construction work is underway at Beraketa Primary School. In February 2022, the existing two classrooms were destroyed by Cyclones Batsirai and Emnati, leaving the students of Beraketa Primary School without access to a safe learning environment. Lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities prevents the students from adopting healthy hygiene behaviours, and has resulted in the prevalence of open defecation on the school site, increasing the spread of WASH-related diseases.
On April 25th, SEED started preparation activities in Beraketa. The rock breaking process, used for the foundations of the three-classroom school building and teacher’s accommodation, has now been completed. The construction team is currently digging the foundations of the building, making breeze blocks, and cutting wire used to strengthen the concrete posts and foundations. Beraketa is located in an especially dry region, which makes the ground very hard to dig. Due to this, the foundations will take longer than anticipated. Over the coming weeks SEED will level the ground, lay the foundations, and begin rock weaving; a traditional Malagasy method of constructing a floor by meticulously placing rocks into a mosaic pattern.
A WASH committee responsible for managing new facilities has been established at the school, and all committee members have received training in managing the infrastructure. WASH education sessions have started, with all students attending lessons about handwashing and latrine use. Teachers also received the WASH education through a train-the-trainer model, enabling them to teach sessions to students in the future. The topics for upcoming WASH education sessions include latrine maintenance and water treatment. These achievements progress towards Programme Sekoly’s aim of tackling two barriers to development: improving access to quality education, and access to clean water and sanitation for the school’s 153 students, 74 of which are girls, and six teachers.
Thank you for supporting SEED’s Beraketa project!
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