Borbon, Cebu - Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are concerns associated with water supply, provision of sanitation, and washing facilities with hygiene education specifically promoted in schools. In every school with complete WASH facilities has a functional and reliable water system that provides safe and sufficient water for all needs like handwashing, drinking, and even toilet use.
Speaking of toilets, the WASH program also has a adequate number of toilets for teachers and students that is safe, clean, and separate for boys and girls. It is promoted in schools primarily to cater to the needs of the entire school population, including preschoolers, girls of menstruation age, children with disabilities, etc.
More than that, WASH includes hygiene education and supplementary activities that aid in behavior change, and lifelong practices to families and communities.
We usually hear the common phrase “prevention is better than cure” and it is more than a cliché. In fact, preventing future illnesses is vital to our overall health. WASH in school and the services it provides can have a major impact on health status, education attainment, and disease casualties among students.
The value of WASH in school has economic and social gains, these can be into categories:
1. Disease Prevention. The program itself is primarily a means of preventing the spread of diseases and promoting health. It is evident that in communities where water supply is a challenge, diarrhea cases are increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 88% of diarrheal cases is caused by unsafe water supply.
2. Educational attainment. Inadequate WASH in school activities may hinder the children’s ability to learn in several ways. There are certain studies providing evidence that children who drink more water remain healthier, especially when access to water is readily available.
3. Life-long skills. Behavior change is what is also promoted in WASH program, which is why this is included in the curriculum. The hygiene behaviors that children learn at school are the skills that most likely they will adopt and even teach to their younger ones at home.
The whole of school approach through the WASH program will improve good hygiene practices in schools, help reduce occurrence of common diseases particularly water-borne illnesses and prevent the deterioration of nutritional status of every child secondary to diarrheal infections. // ND II Teresito M. Caayaman III, RND
