African Adventures Foundation

For the past three years, we have been working on a transformative Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme which aims to provide increased and equal opportunities for girls and boys at the three schools we support in Zanzibar by delivering a Hygiene and Menstrual Health programme alongside the construction of toilet blocks, hand washing stations and private spaces to manage menstruation.

In 2022, the construction of new latrines, handwashing stations and privacy rooms was completed at Fuoni and Kijito Upele Schools, and the next stage was to secure funding to start the programme at Kinuni School.

The High School of Glasgow partnered with Kinuni School at the end of 2022 and set themselves the goal of raising money as a school to fund a new toilet block as part of our WASH programme, which they would support with the construction of during their trip.

After working together as a team, the students completed the construction of the toilet block and menstruation room, which was officially opened in a ceremony by the Minister for Education in Zanzibar. During the ceremony, former pupils of Kinuni performed an acrobatic performance to say thank you on behalf of their younger siblings.

Before the WASH programme, 6,102 students at Kinuni had to share 15 inadequate toilets, which were not fit for purpose. With the support of The High School of Glasgow, 13 new toilets were built, along with the existing ones repaired; 11 hand-wash stations were provided; a private room was constructed for girls to wash their reusable sanitary pads, and piped water was installed.

We’re setting supporters the challenge of walking, jogging or running their chosen distance over the summer to help raise money to support our partner schools in Africa. In April, a team of African Adventures staff and supporters took part in the Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge, walking 106km around the island to raise £12,500 towards our Kenyan partner schools’ food security programmes. Now it’s our supporters' turn to get involved with their own challenge to achieve something incredible!

Not Just a WASHroom is a transformative Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme that we have been carrying out at our three partner schools in Zanzibar since 2021.

The project is nearing completion, with the construction work finished at two schools and underway at the third.

The objective that the project promotes is Education. In Zanzibar, 38% of schools have an adequate number of latrines, only 20% have water supply, and just 10% have handwashing facilities. Children are unable to maintain personal hygiene and internalise relevant sanitation practices. 22 of 28 latrines at our three partner schools are full; the additional six are inadequate. Running water is limited and reliant on rainfall, and there are no handwashing facilities. The need to improve basic school sanitation facilities is a prerequisite for learning. Interventions encouraging simple hygiene practices (washing hands with soap) can reduce incidences of diarrhoea by 47%. Girls and boys are affected in different ways by inadequate WASH in schools. Evidence of low school attendance of girls during their menstrual cycle can be directly attributed to inadequate sanitation facilities, denying them the right to an education. It is estimated that only 30% of girls understand menstrual health. Primary enrolment for girls in the region is 92.6, exceeding that for boys (90.8). Yet, pass rate and enrolment at secondary is disproportionately higher for boys. If these needs are not met there will continue to be disparity in equality of opportunities, leaving those hardest to reach, behind.

When finished, Not Just a WASHroom will provide increased and equal opportunity for 8,253 girls and 7,798 boys at Kijito Upele, Fuoni and Kinuni primary schools in Pangawe community, United Republic of Tanzania, to reach their full potential at school.

This will be achieved through delivery of new and improved inclusive sanitation facilities and clean piped water, with integrated and appropriate positive hygiene-practice and menstrual health education. Girls and boys will have increased knowledge of positive hygiene behaviours and can practice them through access to quality and inclusive sanitation facilities and clean piped water, which will result in a 15% reduction in hygiene-related absences from school. Girls and boys aged 10- 17 will have increased knowledge of menstrual health, and girls will be equipped to prepare for and manage menstruation, increasing their confidence and wellbeing, and attendance of girls at school aged 12- 16 by 20%.