This three-year activity co-funded by the Economic Growth and Education Offices will increase access to water.

The focus will be sites in the Matam Region, specifically in communities where poor access to water facilities is undermining children’s ability to learn.

Together

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with community members as a whole, students and teachers in remote and vulnerable communities will have either increased low-cost entry points to safe water or entirely new sources.

Where appropriate, in order to sustain gains made, a financial governance model will be instituted to ensure sustainability in the form of fee-for-service approaches that allow for minimal funds to be collected for upkeep and maintenance needs.

Specifically, it is anticipated that since School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) already serve as resources in the community, they will be available to provide participatory governance in water point maintenance organizations.

It is essential to bear in mind that the ultimate aim is not to provide enormous amounts of water, but rather to have a modest amount of drinking water for each child and teacher.

As such, quick-impact methods will be prioritized to find solutions as rapidly as possible.

Water provision efforts will work closely in parallel with community engagement.

The community-based solutions described below are intended to be simple, inexpensive, and implemented and maintained by local committees themselves in order to ensure durability.