charity:water
WASH for Education: Unlocking Student Potential in Kenya and Uganda
By 2030, the goal of charity:water is to implement community water programmes at scale to serve 30 million people, and to keep clean water flowing with targeted sustainability programming reaching 30 million people annually.
The partnership with the Swarovski Foundation focuses on improved and reliable access to WASH infrastructure and education, unlocking student potential in rural communities by enabling increased participation in school activities and leadership roles. Seven high-quality water points, along with sanitation facilities including latrines and handwashing stations, will provide clean, safe water and support hygiene education, helping students to focus on learning and income-generating activities. The provision of adequate sanitation facilities and ongoing education in Menstrual Hygiene Management will allow girls to spend more time at school, improving current livelihoods and securing opportunities for better futures. Water User Committees will also equip communities with management and financial skills that support broader economic growth. Along with infrastructure investments, students will receive Child Hygiene and Sanitation Training (CHAST), enabling peer-to-peer education and the sharing of hygiene practices with families. Broader community outreach will also reinforce key messages on latrine use, handwashing with soap, and safe water management.
Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is the foundation for healthier communities and brighter futures. When communities gain reliable WASH services, they can break cycles of poverty, improve health, boost education, and build resilience. Kenya and Uganda rank among the lowest on the Human Development Index, with nearly 50% of their populations living in poverty. In rural areas, millions lack basic water and sanitation, leaving children vulnerable to deadly diseases like diarrhoea, a leading killer in Uganda. Schools suffer too: in Kenya, 1/3 lack safe water and 50% lack adequate sanitation, causing students, especially girls, to miss up to 20% of school days due to poor facilities and menstrual hygiene challenges.
Sourced by charity:water, 2025
The impact goal of this partnership centres on improved access to WASH infrastructure and education unlocking student potential in the target communities, enabling increased participation in school activities and leadership roles. Expected outcomes include access to adequate sanitation facilities and hygiene infrastructure; increased hygiene knowledge and adoption of healthy behaviours; increased awareness of WASH importance among students and their families; strengthened community water stewardship and local governance; reduced water collection time specifically for women and girls; and 90% functionality of water points over a 10-year period.
In Kenya, additional outcomes include enhanced dignity and confidence among girls through menstrual health education; increased participation of girls in school activities and leadership roles; and a 30% sanitation service level increase for impacted households. In Uganda, additional outcomes include development of student-led initiatives for maintaining WASH facilities; and a 15% increase in improved latrine coverage in new target communities and 30% in communities previously supported. Through establishing and supporting Water User Committees, a holistic community approach targets longstanding buy-in for water point use and maintenance, and adoption of healthy behaviours sustained by students, teachers, and families - at schools, at home, or beyond.
Images courtesy of charity:water
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Implementation of 7 water points (five school waterpoints, two public water points) in Kenya and Uganda, to bring clean and safe water to an estimated 2,067 people.
