Annual report Helpcode Italia 2019 - EN

2.7 WATER AND SANITATION
CAMBODIA
THE SCENARIO WHAT WE DO THE RESULTS IN 2019
60% of all girls will not speak
openly of menstruation
(source Unicef).
Many schools do not have
separate toilets for male and
female students.
We provide female students in the
schools we support with education
about the menstrual cycle.
We distribute menstrual kits in the
schools supported.
We rehabilitate school bathrooms.
We held four courses
providing information
about the menstrual cycle
in the schools we support,
distributed 250 period kits,
rehabilitated 40 bathrooms
and allowed 962 girls to go
to school every day.
THE PROJECT
In Cambodia, one of the main barriers preventing girls from accessing education is the lack of adequate
sanitation. This is exacerbated by the poor water quality, leading to frequent illnesses. Many boys and
girls are forced to miss important school days due to illness, with serious consequences for their academic
and cognitive development.
We work to improve existing infrastructure, or to create new one, and to change habits and routines
around hygiene by awareness programmes.
THEIR STORIES
32 awareness-raising
meetings on good hygiene
practices (WASH) in 2019
1,182
toilets made
since 1988
Access to safe water and good management of freshwater ecosystems
are essential for human health, environmental sustainability and the economic prosperity of any
community. However, recent projections show that by 2050, one in four people will live in a water scarcity area of
the world.
Through a sustainable approach of the water and hydrological sources, we can improve the health of boys and girls,
produce better food, create jobs and ensure the economic development of the community.
Many rural schools in Cambodia have only
one latrine for both male and female students.
The door often does not lock, making it a real
challenge for girls to go to the bathroom to
change their sanitary pads.
Our courses providing information about the
menstrual cycle strengthen girls’ role and
consciousness. “I’ve never skipped a day of
school because of my period,” says Mony, a
female student who attended our courses. “But
it’s difficult, because my head hurts and a feel
uneasy. Now I’ve learned that I can take a pill
to make me feel better, and I’ll be sure to tell
my friends!”
28
What we have done Annual report 2019 29