Clean Water and Handwashing Education in Ethiopia: Hope Restored at Geja Bonaya School
At Geja Bonaya School—one of the most underserved schools in Ethiopia—students have long struggled without clean water, safe toilets, or basic learning materials. More than 600 children attend the school, yet classrooms made from mud, an empty library, and a lack of sanitation facilities make daily learning extremely difficult.
Access to clean water and proper hygiene is not just a health issue—it shapes a child’s ability to learn, stay in school, and stay hopeful.
A School Without Clean Water or Safe Sanitation
Before Gfoundation’s WASH program began, the school’s water source was unsafe and inconsistent. Hygiene awareness was very low, and students had no reliable way to wash their hands or stay healthy throughout the day.
Challenges included:
- Classrooms built from mud
- No computer and very limited learning materials
- A library with almost no books
- No safe sanitation or handwashing facility
These conditions affected attendance and student well-being, especially in such a remote rural community.
Transforming Daily Life Through WASH Improvements
Gfoundation’s clean water and hygiene intervention brought meaningful and immediate change through a combination of handwashing education and school sanitation upgrades:
- A new handwashing station was built
- A 10,000-liter water tank was installed to improve clean water access
- A student-led WASH Club was created to lead hygiene education
- Students gained safe, reliable access to clean water for the first time
These improvements strengthened handwashing habits, helped prevent illness, and supported a healthier learning environment. Students now practice handwashing before meals and take pride in maintaining good hygiene.
Special Toilet Maintenance for Better School Sanitation
Geja Bonaya was selected as one of three schools to receive full maintenance of its toilet facilities, part of Gfoundation’s broader school sanitation work in Ethiopia.
Teachers organized daily cleaning schedules, and students helped keep the facilities clean. For the first time, the school community felt hopeful about sustaining proper hygiene standards.
New Challenges: The National Corridor Project
Just as progress was taking hold, the Ethiopian government’s National Corridor Project placed the school’s newly repaired toilet inside the demolition boundary. A red line now crosses the school compound, raising uncertainty about how long the facility will remain.
The community is worried that they might lose the improvements they worked hard to protect—clean water access, safe toilets, and stronger hygiene practices.
Moving Forward With Strength and Determination
Despite this unexpected challenge, Gfoundation and the Geja Bonaya community remain committed to protecting students’ health, dignity, and access to clean water and safe sanitation.
The progress made so far—clean water access, handwashing education, and student-led WASH activities—continues to inspire hope and resilience.
How You Can Help
Your support can help ensure that students at Geja Bonaya School do not lose the essential WASH facilities that have transformed their daily lives.
Help protect clean water access, school sanitation, and handwashing education for children in Ethiopia.
