Access to quality latrines makes life easier for students at Bumwe Basic School

Although today is a sunny day, yesterday's rain left several puddles in the playground of the Bumwe Basic School in Bujumbura Mairie. We accompany Justine on her usual walk from her classroom to the site of her school's new latrine. Stones and mud on the road are not an obstacle for Justine. Well-equipped with her trainers, she walks by our side with a smile on her face, gently because of a handicap in her right leg, but with determination and her head up.

The 17-year-old is in grade 9 at the Bumwe Basic School and is one of six students with disabilities studying at the school in Buterere commune. Four of them are girls, and two are boys.

A year ago, just going to the toilet was a challenge for these children: “Before, I was not comfortable going to the toilet because I had a lot of problems using it. I had to sit almost on the floor, and it was really hurting my leg. Often, at school, I preferred to hold back and wait until I got home to go”, Justine tells us.

To make life easier for these children, UNICEF has built two separate latrines at the Bumwe Basic School for students living with a disability, one for girls and one for boys, with access facilitated by the construction of ramps and wide doors.

In addition to these 2 adapted latrines, other normal latrines were also built, for a total of 12 latrines (5 for girls, 5 for boys and 2 for teachers), with financial support from UNICEF USA.

For Justine, the construction of the new latrines in her school was a great relief: “Now I feel good because this adapted toilet is very practical for me, it allows me to sit in a toilet bowl more easily and my leg doesn't hurt anymore”, says Justine with a smile.

But the new latrines make life easier, not only for Justine and other students living with a disability, but also for all students at the school, especially teenage girls.

Before the new latrines were built, many adolescent girls asked to go home to relieve themselves, and many did not return to school for different reasons, especially because of the long distance between the school and their homes. "It's a big relief for us girls because we can now change our towels in the toilet without any problem. It is no longer necessary to go home, now we can do all this here at school in privacy”, adds Justine.

At least 37,000 children in 18 basic schools in the provinces of Ngozi, Bujumbura Mairie and Muyinga have already benefited from this project to build latrines and handwashing point, with UNICEF USA and UNICEF regular resources, as part of its cooperation programme with the Government of Burundi in the sector of water, hygiene, and sanitation.