By AGREYSON NYENZA | PROGRAM OFFICER
For a child, having a clean toilet, safe water, and a place to wash their hands may seem like simple things. But in schools where these basic facilities are inadequate, their absence can affect attendance, health, dignity, confidence, and the ability to learn.
From July to September, Afyaplus continued working with Mapogoro B Primary School in Mbarali District, Tanzania, to improve school Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services. Our focus was not only on completing infrastructure improvements but also on helping students develop healthy habits and ensuring that the facilities continue to benefit children long after construction.
Turning infrastructure into healthy habits
During the reporting period, Afyaplus finalized the remaining minor construction activities at Mapogoro B Primary School. We also conducted WASH training sessions for students, focusing on proper handwashing, sanitation, personal hygiene, and healthy daily practices.
These sessions helped students understand the importance of using toilets correctly, washing their hands at critical times, and maintaining personal and environmental cleanliness.
We believe that children can become powerful agents of change. By practising what they learn at school and sharing these lessons with their families, pupils can help promote healthier habits throughout their communities.
Looking beyond construction: is the change lasting?
For Afyaplus, completing a WASH facility is only the beginning. We also want to understand whether children are using the facilities, whether they are being maintained, and how these improvements are affecting everyday school life. During this quarter, our team conducted follow-up monitoring and evaluation at schools where WASH infrastructure had been completed more than a year earlier.
At Magigiwe Primary School, we gathered feedback from pupils, teachers, parents, and school representatives to understand the changes they had experienced since the improvements were introduced. Their experiences reminded us that the value of WASH infrastructure goes far beyond buildings and equipment. It is reflected in children's confidence, comfort, school attendance, and opportunities to learn.
Greater comfort and dignity for schoolgirls
One of the encouraging changes reported by teachers and community members concerned girls' experiences during menstruation.
Before the WASH improvements, some girls reportedly requested several days of permission from school during their menstrual periods because of the challenges they faced in managing their hygiene needs. Following the improvements, teachers reported that girls were more comfortable attending school during menstruation and participating in classroom activities.
A parent from the community also shared that girls who previously experienced difficulties attending classes during their menstrual periods were now more comfortable and better able to concentrate on their studies. These experiences highlight why school WASH improvements are especially important for girls. Access to appropriate sanitation and hygiene facilities can help protect their dignity, support their confidence, and reduce barriers to continued learning.
More time for learning, fewer water challenges
Pupils also reported improvements in their daily school experience. Previously, the school faced serious water shortages, and pupils had to walk approximately one kilometre each morning to collect water needed for cleaning, cooking, and drinking. Such challenges placed additional demands on the school community and made daily hygiene practices more difficult.
Improved WASH facilities and hygiene awareness are helping create a more supportive learning environment. Monitoring also indicated that pupils were applying hygiene practices learned at school in their homes, extending the project's potential benefits beyond the school compound. These changes demonstrate how investing in school WASH services can support healthier routines and help children spend more time in an environment designed for learning.
Encouraging signs in educational performance
At Magigiwe Primary School, the Standard VII examination pass rate increased from 35% in 2024 to 41% in 2025. Although academic performance is influenced by many factors, this improvement is an encouraging development within the broader effort to create a school environment where children can attend comfortably, maintain good hygiene, and concentrate on their studies. A safe and supportive learning environment is an important part of helping children reach their full educational potential.
Protecting the investment for the future
To support the long-term sustainability of the WASH improvements, the school has established a committee responsible for supporting the maintenance of the facilities.
This is an important step towards ensuring that toilets, handwashing stations, and other WASH infrastructure remain useful to pupils and teachers beyond the project's construction phase.
Through continued monitoring, hygiene education, and school-community involvement, Afyaplus aims to protect these investments and encourage lasting ownership of the facilities.
Our reach during the reporting period
Through the project's school WASH activities, we reached:
Behind these numbers are children who deserve a clean, safe, and supportive place to learn.
Your support can make the difference
The experience at Magigiwe Primary School demonstrates why the success of a WASH project should not be measured only by the facilities constructed. It should also be measured by the improvements those facilities make possible in children's daily lives.
However, many schools still need adequate toilets, reliable water supplies, and functional handwashing facilities. Without these essentials, children continue to face preventable hygiene challenges that can affect their comfort, health, and education.
With your support, Afyaplus can help more schools move from inadequate WASH conditions towards safer, healthier, and more dignified learning environments.
Your donation can help us improve school sanitation, expand access to water and handwashing facilities, deliver practical hygiene education, and support schools in maintaining their WASH infrastructure.
Together, we can help ensure that girls can attend school with dignity, boys and girls can practise healthy habits, and teachers can support learning in cleaner and safer environments.
Donate today to help turn school WASH improvements into lasting change, one school, one child, and one community at a time.
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By Agreyson Nyenza | Program Officer
By Suzan Yumbe | Project Leader
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