PHASE - Creating Healthy School Environments in Uganda

 

AMREF has begun  implementing PHASE (Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Education) in Soroti – one of the poorest districts in Uganda.

Access to adequate hygiene and sanitation is poor in Soroti, but even more so in the district's schools where only 65% of the them have access to safe water. Compared to the national target of 40:1,  there is an average of 113 pupils per latrine throughout Soroti.


When PHASE first started in Uganda, sources of information on good hygiene and sanitation (such as posters, school health clubs etc) were essentially nonexistent. The result of this lack of information meant that awareness of the problems of poor hygiene was low.

PHASE aims

PHASE was first brought to Soroti back in 2004, targeting 112,702 children in 198 primary schools. With support from GlaxoSmithKline, AMREF continues to work with local communities, the Soroti District Council, and the Ugandan Ministries of Health and Education to create healthy learning environments for the children of the district. AMREF achieves its goal by providing safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities in Soroti's schools, while raising awareness through awareness programs that teach local children good hygiene practices.

Through its work with the Ministries of Health and Education, AMREF is hopeful that the project will be expanded nationally and implemented in all Ugandan schools.

Achievements

  • PHASE has distributed education kits to 198 schools in Soroti, training teachers to raise awareness through lessons in areas such as music, science and drama
  • School children in Soroti have promoted the PHASE message by performing songs and plays in their communities
  • Tutors from nursing schools have been trained in the PHASE approach and nursing students now include PHASE education in their school visits
  • Media coverage of hygiene issues has grown, and children are designing posters and murals to publicize their own hygiene and sanitation messages
  • Teachers report reduced absences because of poor health since PHASE began, and more head teachers have asked to join the project
  • Water and sanitation facilities have also been installed in schools, improving access for pupils and local communities. This includes:
    • rainwater tanks in 3 schools
    • latrines in 6 schools
    • hand-washing facilities in 90 schools
    • waste bins in 200 classrooms

Download the PHASE brochure

Read about PHASE in Kenya


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Help fight water-borne diseases

Millions of Africans are suffering from water-borne diseases because they do not have access to clean water.  

Just $30 can protect a child from devastating water-borne diseases like trachoma and guinea worm.  It is the average cost of providing a child with safe drinking water at school for a month.

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Exceptional expertise: Northern Uganda

Unlike many organizations that came to Northern Uganda when the war ended, AMREF has been running programs in the region since 1990. 

As an organization staffed by professional Ugandans, AMREF is well placed to understand the complex and constantly changing situation in the conflict region.