Water issue impacts education in developing nations

“Millions of children in the developing world go to schools which have no drinking water or clean latrines – basic things that many of us take for granted” – Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

Clean drinking water and adequate water facilities are a fundamental human right, however, 783 million people in the world are suffering from diseases due to unsanitary water amenities. In fact, 80 per cent of illnesses are linked to untreated water and pour sanitation conditions in the developing countries. These unclean facilities not only affect the health, quality of life, and safety for children, but also disrupt their educational opportunities.

Water is an essential source to everyday life. We use it to cook, clean, bathe, and drink. This concept is similar to the need of a proper education, however, in developing countries school is less of a priority. Worldwide, approximately 59 million children ages six to 11 do not attend school and half of them are situated in Sub-Saharan Africa. With reason, these numbers continue to grow every day resulting in high numbers of illiterate children. If schools cannot provide a basic latrine and a drinking water source, they will not be able to run. Consequently, this is why children must walk far distances to the nearest school. This could be prevented if there were more adequate water facilities available which would improve the education for students.

Due to the lack of proper sanitation facilities, many adolescents are forced to miss school because of water-contaminated illnesses such as diarrhea and typhoid. These illnesses alone spread quickly within the schools and affect the academics and attendance for many children. Despite the unsanitary conditions in most schools, kids often sacrifice their education to earn money if their family member is sick from waterborne diseases. Orphaned children are forced to quit school and provide for their younger siblings or other people in the community rather than focus on their education. Additionally, the jobs that are given to women and children limit their educational opportunities because they must walk more than six kilometres each day to collect water. On these journeys, the average container of water, known as the jerrycan, can weigh up to 40 pounds when it is full. These trips are time-consuming and keep women and children from receiving an education.

“There are so many barriers to a girl’s education, toilets shouldn’t be one of them,” said Amboka Wameyo, Canadian Feed The Children’s regional program manager in Africa. Out of 104 million children who do not attend school, 65 million of them are female. When the female body hits puberty, the majority of girls immediately drop out of school because they have more of a disadvantage without clean water. In fact, more than half of the world’s primary schools cannot provide proper hygienic methods compromising the health, safety and dignity of women. In schools, young girls are shy to voice their needs because they are anxious and find the topic of menstruation embarrassing. Therefore, they are excused from classes. With the lack of washroom facilities, boys are forced to either urinate outside or walk alongside the girls to the nearest latrine. This puts boys and girls at a higher risk for violence that may occur outside the school perimeter. Altogether, it is not worth the hassle for students and many choose to drop out.

Nevertheless, education is the key to learning appropriate and healthy habits. By teaching proper hygienic methods within schools, they would help to prevent diseases from spreading and improve communities’ substantially. Although without suitable supplies and sanitary water in schools, how do you teach proper hand-washing techniques, never mind encourage children to attend?

In developing countries, many children are at a disadvantage whereas they may be born into a low-income family, live in conflicted areas, are female, and/ or do not have an opportunity to learn at school. However, when these children can access clean drinking water they are given an equal chance to obtain an education that increases a healthier community, economic growth, and creates more opportunities and jobs. Educated adults are also more likely to have smaller, healthier families who will go on to be healthy and teach their children to receive a good education. According to the UNESCO, a child who is born from a literate mother will raise its chance of survival past the age of five by 50 per cent. Therefore, by providing sanitary conditions and clean drinking water in schools, students will grow to become self-sufficient and be able to support their families ending the cycle of poverty. Overall, this has a positive impact on communities and will raise awareness for adequate water facilities.

By Tessa R. Adamski

Photo taken by Peter Essick, National Geographic