John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

NOTES FROM THE FIELD|DIPLOMATICA$25 buys water for an African child’s lifetimeBy Leslie MorelandWorldwide, 443 million schooldays are lost each year due topreventable water- and sanitation-relateddiseases. The lack of cleandrinking water and basic toilet facilitiesin schools and communities throughoutthe developing world results in millionsof children missing out on a chance to attendschool, an experience which wouldequip them to build brighter futures forthemselves and their families.It’s hard to imagine going to schooland spending the day worrying aboutwhere you’ll be able to relieve yourselfin private, or where you’ll get a drink ofwater to quench your thirst at lunch. ForCanadians, this is a completely foreignnotion. When I was growing up in smalltownOntario, the thought never evencrossed my mind. Every day, I’d let thetap run, feel the cool, clean water from thefountain hit my mouth, and flush the toiletwithout a second thought. Yet, for millionsof school-aged children around the world,days spent without access to clean waterand toilets is their unfortunate reality.Access to clean water, basic sanitationand hygiene education are the ABCs of internationaldevelopment and form the verybuilding blocks of social and economicdevelopment in communities around theworld. They are also integral to the healthand well-being of individuals and entirecommunities. Sadly, the great importanceof these basic services at schools has beenalmost entirely overlooked. However,without such facilities and training, schoolsrisk becoming places that actually causesickness, and in turn severely hinder thefight against global poverty.WaterCan’s Clean Water for Schools programworks to support the provision ofclean water, basic sanitation and hygieneAt Joseph Apuodo School in Nairobi, Kenya, safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilitieshave helped create a healthy school environment where learning, laughing and playing,rather than stomach aches and diarrhea, are top of mind.education. Since 2006, we’ve been workingwith local communities and Africanpartners to find sustainable, communitydrivenwater and sanitation solutionsfor schools throughout Ethiopia, Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania. And the costs arereasonable: by WaterCan’s formula, $25buys an African child water for life.When boys and girls don’t have accessto clean water on school grounds, the consequencescan be severe and life-altering.For example, children are in danger of sufferingfrom water- and sanitation-relateddiseases such as skin and eye infections,diarrhea and intestinal parasites. Thesediseases contribute to malnutrition andoften hamper both physical and mentaldevelopment, making learning difficult.The sad reality of dirty and unhygienicschool environments is that they alsodiscourage students, particularly younggirls, from even attending school. Withoutclean, private and gender-segregatedtoilet facilities, girls are prevented (byembarrassment or by their families) fromattending school during menstruation.This contributes to a significant disparityin male and female primary-school graduationrates. Understandably, qualifiedteachers are also less willing to work atschools that don’t offer these basic services.This further prevents children fromgetting an education that could help theirfamilies and communities break the pervasivecycle of poverty.I recently had an opportunity to sitdown with an inspiring young girl at BarChando Primary School in western Kenya.She told me what her life was like beforeWaterCan and our partner SANA (SustainableAid in Africa) helped the schoolcomplete a 25,000-litre rainwater harvestingtank, four handwashing facilities and13 toilets to benefit the 447 students.Peter Breggdiplomat and international canada 23