Globally, school children are exposed to a myriad public health risks and hazards. The situation is worse especially in developing countries and worse still in countries faced with recurrent or protracted humanitarian crises. With the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global development community have renewed their commitment to sustain efforts towards providing quality education that is inclusive as articulated under SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning) and the concomitant targets.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is a critical component in promoting a conducive learning environment in school hence impacting significantly the quality of education. A number of studies have shown that schools with safe drinking water supply, improved sanitation amenities and appropriate hygiene promotion programs have higher enrollment and retention rates. Consequently, children in such schools perform well in curriculum and extra-curriculum activities.

IDEAL Public Health and Development Consultancy (IPHDC) has planned a training course aimed at equipping stakeholders with knowledge and skills for effective and efficient management of WASH in Schools (WinS) in both development and emergency contexts.

By the end of the course, trainees will be able to design, implement, monitor and evaluate WASH programs in schools that are responsive, inclusive and sustainable in terms of meeting the needs of school children.

Who should attend this training?

Programme staff of humanitarian and development agencies including project managers, officers, health workers, hygiene promoters, public health officers, education officers and teachers.

What are the modules of the training?

• Introduction to Sustainable and Inclusive WASH in schools (WinS);
• Effective planning of WinS programmes;
• Hygiene behaviour change approaches;
• School health club concept;
• Operation and maintenance of WinS infrastructure;
• Monitoring and Evaluation of WinS;
• WinS in emergency context.

What are the main training objectives?

The following objectives are planned to be achieved by the end of the training:

• To identify critical planning activities such as assessing current WASH in schools conditions and existing approaches;
• To identify key WinS stakeholders and how to engage them at various levels;
• To learn on appropriate hygiene behaviour change approaches;
• To explore various child-friendly WinS facilities;
• To learn how to conduct effective monitoring and evaluation of WinS for accountability and sustainability.

What learning approach and language will be used in the training?

The training method of delivery will consist of recorded sessions, presentations, articles, reference materials, quizzes and assessments.

The entire training will be facilitated in English.