Back to school: A year on from the Pakistan floods children fight to reclaim their futures through classrooms
A year on from the catastrophic Pakistan floods children are back in school, with some returning to classrooms as recently as the last three months – but life is far from normal.
Even when schools opened their doors again, many were – and some still are - operating without basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and toilet facilities leaving children in the worst-affected areas with no choice but to miss out on precious hours of education.
Last year’s disaster devastated the lives of 33 million people, half of which were children*, leaving families without homes and access to WASH and schools without critical toilet and handwashing facilities. Without WASH facilities, the safety of children is at risk, leading to increased risk of absenteeism and leaving them vulnerable to harassment and sickness, including a heightened likelihood of contracting waterborne diseases such as cholera.
WaterAid heard through local partners how some children have also opted to stay at home out of fear of being unable to access a toilet, particularly girls on their periods. Others are forced either to defecate in the open, leaving them vulnerable to harassment, or to cut their school day short in order to go home to use the toilet. Teachers too have been impacted by the loss of school WASH facilities because of last year’s flooding, many of whom have had to use bushes as makeshift toilets.
When the floods took hold in Badin, which was among the hardest-hit parts of the country, 13-year-old Noshat and his family were left with no choice but to leave their home and move to a roadside camp for six months.
"It was not a pleasant experience living in the camps. It used to be hot. We didn't get food for days till the ration bags started coming," Noshat recalled. "It was really tough for me and my family when we had to leave our home because of the floods. Everything was so uncertain and scary. I felt sad and worried about what would happen to our house and all our stuff. I also lost my favourite school bag, which made me feel even more upset."
Despite having his entire life uprooted, it was being out of school that Noshat really struggled with. "It was really hard not being able to go to school,” he explained. “I felt sad and frustrated because I couldn't continue my education. We were away from school for almost a whole year because of the floods. It felt like I was missing out on so much, and I worried about falling behind in my studies."
Najma, mother to Noshat and his four siblings, recounted:
"We lost all our belongings and spent months in the flood camps. I worried about their future, particularly their education, during those testing times."
Asma, a 10-year-old girl from Dadu, recalled how her school’s latrines were rendered unusable during the floods. She said:
“This made me and my fellow female classmates reluctant to attend school. Not only that, but my own residence was also severely damaged, and everyone in my community was distressed. I saw my parents constantly worried about rebuilding our home and finding means of support. It was a difficult time for all of us, especially the children. The school remained closed for months due to the flood, and even after it reopened, we faced challenges. We lacked potable water, adequate food, and proper playground equipment. It felt like we were losing precious time from our education and missing out on the joys of being in school.”
WaterAid has worked tirelessly to rehabilitate critical facilities in 50 schools, in disaster-stricken Badin, Dadu, in Sindh province and Rajanpur in Punjab province. This includes the restoration of latrines, water supply, handwashing facilities and damaged structures such as doors and walls, enabling children to safely go to the toilet and return to classrooms where they can continue to thrive.
Mr Asghar Lund, headteacher of a school in Sindh that was severely damaged in the floods and has since had its facilities restored, explained: “All girls have returned to school and boys no longer return home to relieve themselves. Previously, teachers also had to use the toilet in nearby bushes or travelled to their homes or the city.”
Despite it being a long road back to school, Noshat has found renewed hope in being back in education.
"Being back at school means everything to me,” Noshat said. “It's not just about books and lessons; it's a place where I can grow, learn, and dream. School gives me hope for a better future and helps me believe in myself. I also love the support and encouragement I get from my teachers. School is like my second home, and I'm grateful to be back.
"When I'm older, I want to be a teacher. I've always looked up to my teachers and admired how they help students. I want to inspire and support other kids just like my teachers did for me. Education is so important, and I want to make a difference in the lives of other children by becoming a teacher.”
Arif Jabbar Khan, Country Director of WaterAid Pakistan, said:
“Last year, Pakistan experienced some of the worst floods in the country’s history. The impact of such a tragedy is long-lasting and without life-saving WASH facilities, thousands of children have been deprived of their right to education. They simply should not be forced to choose between their health and their future. WaterAid has been able to rehabilitate vital facilities in some of the worst impacted areas but WASH remains the key aspect in giving children hope and keeping them in classrooms.”
ENDS
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Safeeyah Kazi, Senior Media Officer, [email protected] or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552, or email [email protected].
Notes to Editors:
* As quoted by UNICEF.
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 27 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and 29 million people with decent toilets.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk, follow us on Twitter @WaterAidPress, @WaterAidUK, @WaterAid, or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 771 million people in the world – one in ten– do not have clean water close to home[1].
- Almost 1.7 billion people in the world – more than one in five – do not have a decent toilet of their own[2].
- Over 300,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's more than 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes[3].
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs[4].
[1] WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.
[2] WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.
[3] WaterAid calculations based on: Prüss-Ustün A, et al. (2019). Burden of Disease from Inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Selected Adverse Health Outcomes: An Updated Analysis with a Focus on Low- and Middle-Income Countries. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. vol 222, no 5, pp 765-777. AND The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2020) Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
[4] WaterAid. (2021) Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery.
