Wash in schools in Anapolis (GO)
Description
The project Wash in schools is an initiative of the Institute "4 elementos" in partnership with CeTAmb of the University of Brescia (Italy).<br />
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The aim of the project is to evaluate WASH services in 10 schools of Anapolis that do not have a sewage system, and implement, together with the school community, innovative solutions and/or technologies to improve the health and quality of life of students, promoting a healthy environment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
General<br />
Evaluate and implement appropriate technologies in public schools of Anapolis (Brazil)<br />
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Specific<br />
• to improve the management of WASH services in schools<br />
• to provide the school community with equal access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene<br />
• to improve sanitation and provide safe drinking water for students<br />
• to strengthen the promotion of hygiene with particular interest in the washing of hands with soap, proper use and maintenance of toilets and management of menstrual hygiene for girls.
The beneficiaries of the project are the students, professors and officials of the 10 public schools of Anapolis. Specifically, the direct beneficiaries are 5,200 people, while indirectly the same will be addressed to about 30 thousand people.
The Elementos Institute has partnered with the CeTAmb laboratory, the State University of Goias and the municipality of Anapolis to carry out the project.
From September to November 2018, a meeting was held with the Anapolis Education Secretariat to present the project and obtain permission to visit the schools. In the same period, a meeting was held with the coordinators of the Biology, Civil Engineering and Chemistry courses at the State University of Goias to request collaboration in the project. The coordinators involved 22 university students in the project.
The group of engineering students evaluated the WASH services of the schools through questionnaire, photos, interviews, and the group of biologists and chemists carried out microbiological collection and analysis of water in the microbiology laboratory of the University.
In October, an undergraduate student in environmental engineering from the University of Pavia (Italy) received a research grant from the university to do part of her thesis on the WASH project in Anapolis.
The next activities of the project are:
- Select the schools with low level of Wash services (no service, limited and basic) for the implementation phase of the technologies (February 2019).
- Meet with the school and local community to present the actions that will be done at the school and ask their collaboration for the proper functioning of the project (March 2019);
- Select Italian students for the mission in Brazil (March 2019);
- Evaluate project impacts in the community: ex-ante, in itinere and ex-post (April 2019, November 2019, June 2020);
- Conduct a wetland pilot project at the rural school for the treatment of sewage (May-December 2019);
- Perform a new microbiological and physical-chemical analysis of the water of the schools (May 2019);
- Evaluate the health of the children through fecal examination and survey (May 2019); ;
- Create a WASH guideline for schools (September-December 2019);
- Conduct a WASH training course for teachers and school officials (September-October 2019);
- To carry out environmental education for the children and a course of educommunication so that they can be agents of transformation in the community in which they live (October 2019-December 2020);
- Monitor the services and / or technologies implemented (May 2020).
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda recognizes drinking water, sanitation and hygiene as a driving force for progress in many SDGS, including health, nutrition, education and gender equality.
The project is carried out pursuing the criteria for sustainable development:
- Economical: low cost of the plant and exercise, with the possibility of generating income for the school through separate collection and production of soap;
- Technological: use of local materials in the construction and maintenance of the plants;
- Environmental: maintaining ecological integrity by preventing various forms of pollution;
- Health: disease prevention, improvement of community quality of life;
- Social: use of local labor, improvement of the quality of life of handicapped children;
- Political: community participation in the decision-making process.
In relation to sanitation, 5 schools don’t have collection and sewage treatment. The indicator for basic sanitation also verified whether the number of toilets was sufficient, whether they were separated by sex and in good conditions of use, accessible and functional for young children with reduced mobility.
All the schools evaluated had sanitary facilities separated by sex, 60% of the toilets being functional, 25% partially functional, ie the toilets could be used, but there were problems with the physical infrastructure and needed repairs and 15% were damaged.
The hygiene indicator assessed whether there were functional facilities for hand washing, whether soap was available, and whether the school provided information on the importance of hygiene. In all schools the soap was not available and in the rural school, in the teachers' bathroom, there was bar soap that was shared by all. Hygiene was taught sporadically in all schools and there was no special program for girls on menstrual hygiene. In all schools, handwashing facilities worked properly and were accessible to all.
To increase the capacity of the school to develop, finance and maintain the projects in operation, in September 2019 will be implemented the selective waste collection and frying oil used for the production of soap that will be used for washing hands and other needs of the school.
The final results of the analysis of the services will be announced in June 2019 at the Brazilian Congress of Environmental Engineering (ABES) and Natal.
Partnership with CeTAmb which aim the promotion of research activities on “appropriate technologies for environment management in Developing Countriesâ€Â.
The involvement of the school community and local community in the realization and participated management of the project activities that will allow the empowerment of the implemented technologies and will help the sustainability of the project.
Use low-cost, sustainable technologies and enhance local material and human resources.
Possibility of reusing waste produced in the school by contributing to the circular economy.
Capable professionals, partnerships with universities, engaging the school principals in the project, enthusiasm of volunteers, willingness to see effective change and improve children's hygiene conditions.
The integration between social networks will be important in order to promote the exchange of experiences, the strengthening and the replication of the project in other schools and cities.
The best reward of this project is to receive messages from my volunteers, thanking me for the opportunity they had to know a new reality of our city and to help transform the lives of many children.
e-mail: ecocerrado.brasileiro@gmail.com
Website: www.instituto4elementos.org
Instagram: instagram.com/instituto4elementos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/instituto4Elementos/
 CeTAmb:
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/unibs.it/cetamblab-en/
e-mail: cetamb@unibs.it
SDGS & Targets
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
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Feedback
Action Network
![SDG Good Practices First Call](/sites/default/files/2021-12/goodp1.jpg)
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Timeline
Entity
Region
- Latin America and the Caribbean
Geographical coverage
Website/More information
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Contact Information
Carmencita Tonelini Pereira, biologist