ON THE WATERFRONT Project
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Eluby Josephy (14 y.o., in uniform) and Beatrice Banda (15 y.o.) as they pose in front of one of the latrines at Chigodi School, Chileka (Blantyre District). In 2005, Eluby and Beatrice dropped out of school for some time because of the lack of sanitary conditions. "We had to go to the bush to manage when we needed to relief ourselves, and we were feeling shy since we had grown up", says Eluby. Now they feel good in school again. "It is like being at home", she affirms. Thanks to the NGO Malawi Freswater Project the school has now water. Due to the lack of water and sanitary facilities, in 2005 this school lost 72 pupils between 12 and 18 y.o.. They were all girls who had reached their puberty and were shy of going to the bush to relief themselves and to manage when they had menstruation. They just decided to drop out.
Between years 2004 and 2005, Malawi Freshwater Project built latrines, urinaries and washing-hands facilities in Chigodi School. Some of the girls who had dropped out went back and started attending again. In 2007 not even one girl dropped out.
It is estimated that latrines have a life of 10 years. After that time new ones need to be built.
