Clean Hands – This program augments the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Education’s focus to improve the personal hygiene of students. Clean Hands teaches Kenyan school children the importance of hand washing and proper techniques. It also provides access to soap and water through hand washing stations to help stop the spread of preventable disease. Healthy children attend school more regularly.
UPDATE – As of Aug 25, all 2018 Hand Washing Trough projects are complete!
Hand Washing Troughs – Five of our partner schools in Kenya have Hand Washing Troughs: Jacaranda, Chaka Reli, Kirima, Uiguano, and Equator.
The students who attend these schools are able to wash hands thoroughly, without waiting in line. Each school is required to make their own liquid hand soap. As you can see from the photos above, the soapy water used to wash hands drains into the waste water tub. That water will be used to clean the school latrines. How cool is that?! This project was a welcomed addition for the school children when they return September 4th.
“Tippy Taps” – This is a very inventive yet crude homemade approach to providing a hand washing station. They are found at many Kenyan primary schools and households. There are numerous designs of “Tippy Taps”. Though the device is simple, it does what it is designed to do… wash hands, with water only.
More permanent and effective hand washing stations are composed of a 50 – 75 litre tank, a tap, bucket and platform to support a full tank. The agreement Connecting Countries has with its schools requires the Kenyan schools to provide a platform to support a full tank and provide liquid hand soap for each tank.
Schools’ Student Health Clubs take on the responsibilities of Water Station set up each morning and station maintenance throughout the school day as: filling the tank with water, adding a cup of liquid soap and ensuring the water station is securely stored away at the end of the school day.