Making schools safer in Solomon Islands
We’re bringing clean water, handwashing, toilets and hygiene facilities to schools in Solomon Islands to keep children safer during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Working alongside local communities, provincial education authorities and national Ministry staff, we’re upgrading 11 schools in Malaita and Western provinces with climate and disaster resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.
Why children in Solomon Islands need better WASH infrastructure
When widespread community transmission of COVID-19 prevented schools across Solomon Islands from reopening in the new year in 2022 and kept schools closed until June, children missed out on six months of learning. In June, the government launched a three-month staged reopening of schools, but a significant gap in safe WASH infrastructure was identified across the country’s 1000 schools. Only a handful met the standards originally required to open safely.
Photo by Collin Leafasia, Save the Children Solomon Islands
Save the Children’s Solomon Islands WASH programme
The 12-month programme will upgrade Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure across 11 schools in Solomon Islands. More than 5000 children will have access to climate and disaster resilient water and hygiene facilities, such as water tanks and catchment areas, toilet blocks, and handwashing areas.
The project seeks to create a safer school environment for children in Solomon Islands now and into the future. COVID-19 is just one of the health risks facing children without safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. Well-managed WASH infrastructure is vital to keeping children and communities safe.
Photo by Collin Leafasia, Save the Children Solomon Islands
How we know we're making a difference
While we are in the early stages of this project, ensuring safe access to schools for children, and helping to build climate and disaster resilient communities is part of our long-term work in the Pacific.
A Solomon Islands National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) Education assessment in early 2020 identified that schools would struggle to meet the minimum standards of the Solomon Islands Government Ministry of Education and Human Resources (MEHRD)’s “National Standards for School WASH Facilities” making it precarious for them to reopen during the pandemic. This project will support 11 schools to meet the required standard for Physical Entry to School (hand washing facilities), Hand Hygiene, and Toilet Facilities as per MEHRD’s Checklist for the Safe Opening of Schools.
The project will also ensure children and school communities are safer in the face on ongoing disease outbreaks.
Photo by Collin Leafasia, Save the Children Solomon Islands
Who makes our programme possible
This programme is supported by our generous regular givers, whose monthly contribution to our life-changing work in Aotearoa and around the world make projects like this possible.
The project also contributes to a larger body of our work currently underway in Solomon Islands prioritising supporting the Ministry to reopen schools safely. This includes the provision of rainwater catchment systems for 18 schools funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) ANCP program and a further eight schools in the Protektim Pikinini Moa project receiving tippy taps and soap to ensure children at school can practice COVID-19 safe hygiene practices, funded by the New Zealand Government’s Aid Programme.
