Ansar Ud Deen Comprehensive School, Lafenwa, Ota (Junior and Senior)

WASH in Schools 

By Babatope Babalobi and Ogundipe Racheal

eWASH visited Ansar Ud Deen Comprehensive School, Lafenwa, Ota, on the 16th of March, 2023, to assess the status of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities. In the absence of the principals, Mr Kolawole (senior school) and Mrs M.O Hassan (Junior school), the team met with the two vice principals of the school to discuss the purpose of the visit, and we were briefed on the status of the school.

We made use of an observational checklist, and some of the things that we set out to observe are:

1. The sources of drinking water in the school.
2. History and causes of waterborne illnesses such as diarrhoea or cholera
3. Availability of gender-sensitive toilets in the school
4. Students toilet usage
5. Availability of water in the toilet and the cleanliness and those responsible for the cleanliness.
6. Presence of handwashing facilities in the toilet, such as Soap and Water
7. Attention to privacy for proper menstrual hygiene facilities and materials such as water, access to sanitary pads, waste bins, private space, etc.
8. Water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges as a student

Our Findings

• The junior school has 8 pit toilets (4 per gender) for the school’s students. The toilet is segregated, separating the males from the females.
• The school principals rehabilitated the toilets, as it used to be in a worse state.
• The senior school have 4 unit of toilets, 2 each for males and females
• The senior toilets appear to have been abandoned, the roofing is destroyed, and the toilets are not in good shape.
• The toilets do not have  handwashing facilities like water and soap and there are no waste bins around the area. The air smells bad and pungent. The students are in charge of cleaning their toilets
• They have water supply through a borehole, but it is usually locked, and students need to get a key from the gatekeeper to access the toilet
• The borehole is powered by the school generator when there is no light
• They do not have a sanitation committee, but they have health prefects

Recommendations

• The toilets need to be constructed and renovated
• There should be waste bins in the toilets
• A sanitation committee should be formed among the students. They can be in charge of cleanliness and water access.