Drinking water flows at the Government Bilingual High School (G.B.H.S) Mbouda
The school has just been equipped with a photovoltaic drinking water supply system that has improved the living and learning conditions of students, teachers, staff and even the surrounding population.
“The water points are there. Now, we have drinking water. The quality tests have been done. The water is very good quality. You can drink it without fear. The high school offers you better conditions to learn and succeed.” says Jules Akono, the Headmaster of the Bilingual High School of Mbouda, this Monday, September 12 in front of students and teachers during the traditional gathering of 08 a.m.
Life has dramatically changed.
At 10:00 am, the bell rings, breaking the silence within the campus. It is time for a break. Students leave classrooms, empty bottles in hand and rush to the brand-new water points to refuel. According to the testimonies of most people met that day in the high school, life has radically changed because this scenario is new . “In the past, we had only 4 water points, fed by the Camwater for about 4500 students, 200 teachers and staff, including canteens and visitors. Waterborne diseases were regularly recorded. There was no water in toilets, it was a complicated situation. The students had to carry the water from far away points to toilets. Currently we have water in all the toilets of the school” said the headmaster.
Fabiola and Alida, students in Upper Sixth met in the courtyard of the school carrying water to refuel buckets with taps placed in front of the door of each classroom and dedicated to hand washing, testify with pride: “In previous years, there was sometimes when the tap did not run. And even though it flowed, the water was yellowish. We didn’t take any risks drinking this water. We came from home with our drinking water. We avoided going to the bathroom because there was no way to wash our hands. During the dry season, there was a lot of dust, we could not water the soil because of lack of water. It was a difficult situation for students with asthma. Students stood around the high school to urinate. Last year a student urinated on her because her parents prohibited her those toilets because of the insalubrity and the risk of illness. With the arrival of water, everyone has the pleasure of going to the toilet which are now safe.
It is the same feeling among cookers. All dressed in cleanliness white aprons, they patiently wait for the exit of students behind the stalls filled with goods, fruit, biscuits croquettes, sweets… One of them, Odile does not hide her satisfaction concerning changes brought by the water points in the high school, :”Our activity requires strict rules of hygiene and cleanliness. The health of students depends a lot on us. Before, it was painful to keep our environment clean, wash the jumps, water the ground and even drink water. We managed with bagged water and draw the water from miles off campus.” pointing to the nearly 15-metre structure overlooking the school. “But since this castle was built, we are at the top. Life is easier. Drinking water is essential for us. Thanks to UNICEF for this gift.”
Accessible and easy-to-use innovation
The US $62,000 project funded by UNICEF, the government of Germany and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) began in January 2022 and was completed in August 2022. It is a drinking water supply system with photovoltaic pump, powered by solar panels, consisting of a castle with two tanks that can each hold 5000 liters, a series of a productive borehole, pumping stations, a discharge and distribution network of about five kilometers of high-density polyethylene pipes, a treatment system, twenty-one standpipes and control works. It has the capacity to serve about 8000 people.
Some standpipes have been installed out of the high school. A jewel for the bordering populations of Bameboro district. Angel, a mother came to refuel: “Before we were going to take water from the well or the river. The standpipe came to relieve us, especially for children who were forced to reach miles to get water. This resulted in regular delays and absences from school. Now they arrive at school on time. We no longer drink unsafe water, this has reduced diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery” she says.
Duplicate the project in other schools and health center.
For the departmental Delegate of water and energy of the Bamboutos: “By targeting schools, a vulnerable layer, UNICEF and its partners are playing an important role in increasing access to drinking water and the fight against waterborne diseases. In schools, children are 8, 9, 10 years old. When the children are at home, it is very easy for parents to control the water they drink, but once they are out of the house, once the child is thirsty, he will drink from the first source of water that comes to him.” “Most schools don’t have a reliable source of water. Municipalities finance boreholes equipped with hand pumps, which are not practical at all. If a child is left alone, it is difficult to pump, collect and drink water at the same time. With a system with a pump that collects, stores water, and distributes through a network, the sources of potential water pollution are limited.” He added.
The Delegate recommends the scaling up of the project: “This project should be duplicated, also in health centers that are sensitive points and crossroads of multidrug-resistant germs. Hospitals are environments where antibiotics are used and when germs met antibiotics, they become resistant. So, if the water is not present, it causes a big issue. Besides schools, we must think about health centers. »
The challenges remain significant as demand is high
Jules Akono, the Headmaster of High School does not miss an opportunity to express his gratitude “On behalf of the educational community of the bilingual high school of Mbouda I would like to thank UNICEF, the German Government and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), for this precious gift whose impact is palpable on the success and health of students.”, not without asking for more. “Whoever says thanks, wants more. I would like to point out that we need more standpipes, the water points are closer to the students. 21 water points , that is good, but not enough to cover the needs of 4300 students, 200 teachers and staff. In addition, the high school needs a library. We have 40,000 books stored in the closets that are not used as we want. We don’t have a reading space. The space at our disposition is very small and only allows us to present the samples.”
UNICEF’s ambition: for every child, access to safe drinking water and sanitation
Access to water for all remains an important health and economic issue. It is part of UNICEF’s program vision to ensure that every child in Cameroon — girls and boys, including adolescents — survives, thrives, learns, is protected, and develops their full potential, thereby contributing to human capital growth and social well-being. While significant progress has been made in Cameroon in recent years, access to drinking water is not yet guaranteed for all populations. At the national level, the rate of access to drinking water is 74.9%. In rural areas, it is 30% (EDS, 2018).
Poor sanitation, scarcity and quality of water, inadequate hygiene practices are catastrophic for young children who spend long days in school. The physical environment and cleanliness of schools have a significant impact on children’s health and social well-being. Too often, it is at school that children get sick.
UNICEF’s work in schools aims to improve the health and outcomes of children and their families by reducing the incidence of water- and sanitation diseases. Each school must implement WASH actions that keep the school environment clean, avoid odors and prevent the transmission of dangerous bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
It is therefore essential to continue to invest in the development of water infrastructure in all regions of the country and particularly in schools if we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) and those of the National Development Strategy SND30 by 2030. Because water and sanitation are the foundations of sustainable development.
By Beguel Salomon Marie Joseph, Communication Officer UNICEF Cameroon
