Innovative Finance
August 1, 2024
Background and Context
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, schools often lack adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, which worsens various health issues like diarrhea and respiratory infections. These challenges disproportionately affect school-aged children, especially girls. These issues impact attendance, academic performance, and overall well-being as well. An intervention to mitigate the problems and find solutions was very much needed.
Solution
The WASH in Schools for Everyone (WISE) program, implemented by Splash, aimed to improve health outcomes and school attendance by providing enhanced WASH infrastructure, as well as nudging behavioral changes. These initiatives included installing water storage and filtration systems, handwashing stations, etc.
The implementation was multifaceted. First, infrastructure development, which involved establishing handwashing stations equipped with soap, installing water storage tanks and filtration systems, and collaborating with local authorities to plan for improved sanitation facilities. Second, behavioral interventions that involved conducting training for hygiene teachers, establishing hygiene clubs comprising of students to monitor practices like handwashing and deliver peer-to-peer hygiene education, and organizing menstrual health and hygiene workshops for students and parents. Third, community engagement, by engaging families in soap and menstrual product creation and providing training for janitorial staff. Fourth, educational tools, by using behavioral-centered design elements like mirrors, and integrating hygiene education into school curriculums. Fifth, monitoring and evaluation, through conducting unannounced roll-call attendance check and pupil surveys, and measuring outcomes like respiratory illness and menstrual care self-efficacy.
Impact
There was a 16% relative reduction in pupil-reported respiratory illness and a small but significant improvement in girls’ self-efficacy to manage menstruation, with a 3.32-point increase on a 0-100 scale. Additionally, the intervention covered 60 public primary schools, benefiting 6,229 students aged 7-16. However, there was no significant reduction in diarrhea, and this could be due to a delay in sanitation infrastructure.