Healthy & Safe Facilities for Schools in Timor

Have you ever imagined children spending long hours at school without adequate access to clean water, handwashing facilities, or proper toilets? How do they clean themselves after playing, eating, urinating, or defecating? And what about girls who have started menstruating?

Unfortunately, this is still the reality in schools across Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The next step following the clean water network provision programme in TTS, for which funding was successfully raised some time ago and is currently being implemented, is to improve sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools across TTS.

This programme aims to ensure that children can live and learn in a healthy, safe, comfortable, and protective environment. Activities will include:

1. Designing child-centred facilities by involving children in the design process.

2. Developing a maintenance plan together with schools and school committees.

3. Building clean water supply systems for schools, as well as gender-separated toilets and hygiene facilities.

4. Providing Menstrual Hygiene Management training.

5. Establishing peer groups to encourage children to promote clean and healthy behaviours among their peers, and more.

Better sanitation and hygiene facilities can also help reduce children's risk of illnesses caused by poor hand hygiene. When children are sick, they cannot learn and participate in school activities to the best of their ability.

Children also deserve to have their dignity protected, especially girls as they enter adolescence. Providing them with safe and private spaces to meet their personal hygiene needs is one way we can help protect them.

Your contribution can make a meaningful difference in creating healthier and safer schools that support children's growth and development.

Donate now!