The lack of water can affect students in different ways

The challenges of lack of water and hygiene and sanitation facilities affect the students Ras Zesilas Elementary and Junior School, Addis Ababa, in different ways.

“Girls are particularly disadvantaged,” says Mekdes Dagne, Head of the Girls Club. “The girls sometimes experience their menstruation while in class and if they want to go and change pads, which we give for free, they have to have some privacy. The toilets do not have doors. So we put aside a room where they can change, and even take a rest if they have cramps. But there is no water in there. They have to go to the only tap, which they usually find locked. And then they have to dump the used pads in the toilet, which is hundreds of metres away on the other side of the school. Some of them would rather stay at home for those three or four days instead of subjecting themselves to all these things.”

Mekdes (pictured) is not talking about a theoretical possibility. She had an experience she will never forget. “There was this student of mine who was made fun of by students because the blood showed on her dress and she never came back to school. I went to a town called Woliso and saw her living on the streets with her child. She didn’t want to face me, but I pushed and asked her how it all happened, and she said her family threw her out for disgracing them with a bastard. Apparently, after she left school, she was vulnerable to things out there. It all started with lack of better sanitation and hygiene facilities at her school.”

Everyone at the school understands water is a scarce resource. And the only tap something that needs care.

Hiwot Walelign is an eighth grade student at Ras ZeSilas. At 17 and with a solid academic record, she is an influential figure at the school. As a class monitor, one of her roles includes looking after the water tap.

“Monday, it is I and another monitor from the fifth grade. We make sure students drink their water in a queue and responsibly. We have one tap and we have to look after it. If you don’t have water it is not easy to learn. If you are really thirsty, will you sit there thinking about your thirst, or concentrate on what your teacher has to say?”

Coming from a student who knows academic success comes not only from sitting in the class and reading the textbook, it’s a practical question. “I read now as much as when my mother was alive. I used to do household chores when she was alive as much as I do now. But I am not nearly as good a student as when she was around. It’s not about being in class. You need your concentration. If you are thirsty, you cannot concentrate on your education. If you go back to class sweating from physical education sessions, you won’t feel good. It’s good if you cool off your face a bit, or for the boys, even wash their heads and go back to class fresh. Then you can concentrate.”