Precipitation for education

Headteacher Bernadette Nassiwa Bwoni and children from St Bernadette Primary School, Uganda with their rainwater harvesting tank.

Credit: WaterAid / Caroline Irby

You won't find children moaning about the rain in St Bernadette's school in Lower Nsooba in Uganda. They're using it to solve their water problem.

Lower Nsooba, on the outskirts of the capital Kampala, is typical of the peri-urban settlements found in the developing world. Unplanned and rapidly expanding, the school is in the middle of houses built so close together there is no space for adequate waste disposal. Open drainage channels flank the streets and seep into the ground spreading infectious diseases and contaminating water supplies.  

St Bernadette's school looked to the sky for an answer. Working with WaterAid's partner in the area, CIDI, they installed a rainwater harvesting tank. The technique was ideal for the school as the stored water is safe from contamination and can be used all year round. Pipes and guttering on the roof catch rain as it falls and send it to a tank fitted with a tap. Pupils now have access to a supply of safe, clean water.

Previously, the children spent a lot of time every day collecting unclean water from an unsafe well. Incidents of diarrhoeal diseases were high and children regularly missed school. Worldwide, 443 million school days are lost every year due to water-related diseases.

Children at St Bernadette’s school, Uganda, are enjoying safe, clean water since a rainwater harvesting tank was installed.

Credit: WaterAid / Caroline Irby

Head Teacher Bernadette Nassiwa Bwoni says, "The tank has improved school life. The children have more time to study because they do not have to collect water and it is cheaper for the school because we do not have to buy water. We are able to buy more stationery for the children."

Access to clean water is just the first step to creating a healthy environment at St Bernadette's. Attendance rates are still being affected by the lack of adequate sanitation facilities for girls and boys.

Teacher James Wamako explains, "We only have a small toilet with two rooms for all of these children. The toilets have been getting full up. They cannot support the amount of children here. The teachers have to use one toilet and the pupils use another."

The pupils can look forward to a brighter future though, by continuing to work with CIDI they will soon have a new latrine block and good hygiene messages will be taught through music and games. Together, water, sanitation and hygiene education can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by 65%. By providing pupils with all three, St Bernadette's school is laying the foundations of a healthy and positive future.