Making a SPLASH for WASH in schools in Zambia

Zambia has a burgeoning primary school population, but its schools do not provide safe drinking water or adequate sanitation facilities that address the special needs of disabled children and girls entering puberty. USAID/Zambia has a long commitment to Zambia’s education sector. In 2011, it invested in a five-year program called SPLASH (Schools Promoting Learning Achievement through Sanitation and Hygiene) to address the critical WASH needs in schools in four districts of Eastern Province. The comprehensive approach includes construction or rehabilitation of water points and toilets; hygiene education for pupils and training for teachers; sustainability through Ministry of Education (MOE) systems strengthening including EMIS and budget line items; and steady advocacy for institutionalizing WASH within the MOE. In spite of challenges related to geography and bureaucracy, SPLASH has advanced the visibility of school WASH through installations, advocacy, and partnering events that enlist everyone’s contribution to making WASH in schools a reality.