| Reporting Organization: | WaterAid Canada |
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| Total Budget ($CAD): | $ 750,000 |
| Timeframe: | February 1, 2019 - February 1, 2022 |
| Status: | Completion |
| Contact Information: |
Nicole Dagher [email protected] |
| Malawi - $ 750,000.00 (100.00%) | |
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| Sexual Health & Rights (25 %) | |
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| Education (25 %) | |
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| Gender Equality (25 %) | |
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| WASH (25 %) | |
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Through a three-year intervention, the project aimed to create healthy learning environments for girls and boys in Lilongwe District, Malawi. By ensuring safe and healthy learning environments with safe water, private toilets, handwashing with soap, and shared knowledge of good hygiene behaviours, children gained an opportunity for a more prosperous future empowered by education and improved health. By promoting changes in hygiene behaviours, including menstrual hygiene management, handwashing, and the use of gender-sensitive toilets, the project created more inclusive and equitable learning environments for children, particularly girls. Targeted schools and surrounding communities (including parents) gained increased awareness and the means to practice positive hygiene behaviours.
System strengthening interventions took a three-point approach, evidence building, policy influencing, and inclusive governance, informed by research, to create an enhanced policy and knowledge-sharing environment.
| Gender and age: | Adolescent females Adolescent males Children, boys Children, girls |
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| Descriptors: | Rural |
| Total Direct Population: | 24,818 |
| Total Indirect Population: | 13,094 |
| 3 | WASH Operations & Maintenance Committees established and trained; School management structure members strengthened on hygiene awareness; Consensus built for inclusion and clearer articulation of menstrual hygiene in national policy processes |
| 5 | Potable water points constructed; Water storage tanks installed; Gender-sensitive and inclusive sanitation facilities constructed or rehabilitated; Handwashing facilities constructed or rehabilitated; Menstrual hygiene facilities constructed or rehabilitated |
| 3 | Safeguarding mechanisms strengthened in schools; Reported abuse cases formally pursued; Strengthened school-level record keeping and reporting systems |
| 3 | School-based O&M committees trained on infrastructure management; Documented instances of schools meeting O&M infrastructure requirements; Active engagement in policy dialogue on sustainability and menstrual hygiene integration |
| 3 | Hygiene Behaviour Change (HBC) sessions delivered; Individuals reached at least three times with hygiene messages; HBC package developed, pre-tested, and approved by the Ministry of Health |
| 2 | Fully functioning school-based O&M committees; Established systems for maintenance and oversight of infrastructure |
1. Increased access to safe, sustainable, inclusive and gender sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene facilities (including menstrual hygiene facilities) for girls and boys
2. Strengthened knowledge and skills of local actors to manage safe, inclusive and gender sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene facilities
3. Strengthened knowledge and awareness of inclusive, gender sensitive hygiene behaviours (including nutrition sensitive behaviours and MHM) by boys and girls, teachers and caregivers
4. Increased knowledge and awareness by girls of their rights (with an increased capacity to engage with decision makers)
5. Improved attitudes by boys, male teachers and school management towards girls’ rights
6. Improved coordination abilities among key stakeholders to enhance inclusive and gender sensitive WASH services in schools
7. Increased skills for key stakeholders on WASH, MHM and nutrition resource planning and mobilization
Over its three-year implementation period (2018–2022), the WASH4HL project contributed meaningfully to improving education, health, and dignity outcomes for girls and boys in four low-income peri-urban primary schools: M’buka, Chipala, Kabwabwa, and Mlodza.
The project contributed to improved attendance outcomes, particularly for girls. Overall school attendance increased from a baseline of 84% to 89%. While the target of 94% was not fully reached, largely due to external factors such as COVID-19 disruptions and teenage pregnancies, the upward trend demonstrated positive project influence.
Importantly, attendance among girls at the onset of menstruation increased significantly from 75% to 92%, exceeding the original target of 85%. This represents one of the strongest outcomes of the project and highlights the impact of improved menstrual hygiene management (MHM) infrastructure, awareness, and support systems.
The annual dropout rate among adolescent girls decreased from 15% to 13%, nearly reaching the 12% target. Though modest, this reduction is notable within a challenging operating context.
WASH4HL significantly strengthened physical access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in all four target schools.
The ratio of learners to potable water points improved dramatically from 2,193:1 to 631:1 through the construction of 37 water points and four 20,000-litre water storage tanks. Although the target ratio of 500:1 was not achieved due to increased enrollment, access to water improved substantially.
Sanitation access improved even more markedly. The ratio of learners to gender-sensitive sanitation facilities decreased from 125:1 to 73:1, surpassing the target of 90:1. A total of 99 gender-sensitive and inclusive latrines were constructed or rehabilitated, alongside 28 MHM facilities and 132 handwashing facilities.
These infrastructure investments created safer, more dignified, and more inclusive learning environments—particularly benefiting girls and learners with disabilities.
The project strengthened hygiene knowledge and behaviour among learners, teachers, and caregivers.
The percentage of learners, teachers, and caregivers practicing improved hygiene behaviours increased from 40% at baseline to 71% by endline, demonstrating strong behaviour change progress, though slightly below the 80% target.
Handwashing with soap at critical times increased from 41% to 63.7%, exceeding the 60% target. Additionally, 13,036 people were reached with hygiene messages at least three times, surpassing the original target of 12,587.
Six hygiene behaviour change (HBC) sessions were delivered, double the originally planned three sessions, helping to reinforce key messages on handwashing, food hygiene, proper toilet use, waste management, and menstrual hygiene.
While open urination/defecation did not decrease as intended, largely due to misuse of facilities by community passers-by in certain schools—the overall hygiene environment and awareness improved significantly.
Menstrual hygiene practices among girls improved substantially. The proportion of girls practicing good MHM increased from 20% at baseline to 52.4% at endline. While below the ambitious 90% target, this more than doubled baseline performance and was constrained in part by infrastructure challenges at Chipala Primary School.
The project also strengthened awareness of girls’ rights and established better safeguarding systems. Six reported cases of abuse were pursued during the project period, with five resulting in successful legal action. Increased reporting reflects greater confidence and awareness among students and school structures.
To ensure long-term sustainability, the project established and trained four WASH Operations and Maintenance (O&M) committees, one per school. These committees improved oversight, maintenance planning, and local ownership of infrastructure.
The project also influenced policy and coordination mechanisms. While national sanitation policy reform was delayed due to government reprioritization, the project successfully advocated for the inclusion and clearer articulation of menstrual hygiene management within policy discussions. Stakeholder consensus was built around improving sustainability of school WASH services.
Despite external challenges, including COVID-19 disruptions, enrollment increases, infrastructure security issues, and policy delays, the WASH4HL project achieved meaningful and measurable improvements in access to water and sanitation, hygiene behaviours, girls’ attendance during menstruation, and school-level governance structures.
The most significant results were observed in:
Collectively, the project created safer, more inclusive, and more enabling school environments that positioned girls and boys—particularly adolescent girls—for improved health, dignity, and educational continuity.
