With Smart Resilient Schools, children learn better

It’s midday in Lago Agrio, a city in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon. The temperature has reached 35°C and the humidity is 70%. At the Ejército Ecuatoriano School, in the center of the city, the dismissal bell rings. The children walk out of the classrooms carrying their backpacks. Before returning home, Ángel Pérez, 12, plays with his ball. With a wet forehead, he fills his water bottle at the drinking water station and takes a drink. Other students, like Merlía Solórzano, 10, take the opportunity to go into the bathroom and wet their heads. 

Using safe water for drinking, washing hands or going to the toilet was problematic at this school until recently, as it still is for 2,663 other schools in Ecuador¹. In response to this situation, UNICEF is implementing the Smart Resilient Schools Programme, a comprehensive intervention that includes:

• Improvement of sanitary infrastructure.
• Provision of hygiene supplies, including menstrual hygiene supplies.
• Implementation of rainwater harvesting systems so that children have safe water for drinking and hygiene.
• Solid waste management applying circular economy practices.
• Installation of solar panels so that the school has renewable energy.
• Education focused on hand hygiene and menstrual hygiene, environmental care and resilience to climate change. 

The lack of safe water is a reality in the country. "Only 58% of the Ecuadorian population has simultaneous water, sanitation and hygiene services," explains Geovanna Reinoso, UNICEF Ecuador's Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Climate Change Officer.

The situation is more critical in rural areas and in the Amazon, where 7 out of 10 children consume water contaminated with E. coli bacteria, according to the National Survey on Child Malnutrition². The consumption of unsafe water causes diseases such as diarrhea or parasitosis, which can lead to chronic child malnutrition or even death. 

The Smart Resilient Schools Programme also identified the lack of water for the toilets and sinks at this school. In the past, water was obtained from a well located below the urinals, says the headmaster. "There wasn't always enough water," she says, as she accompanies the students to wash their hands.

Ángel puts the ball aside. He goes to the toilet before going home. He remembers that before, the school floors were full of dirt and the lack of water meant that he couldn't wash frequently. The toilets also smelled bad, he says as he lathers his hands. When he finishes, he picks up his backpack and goes home.   

A smart resilient school for all 

The next day, Ángel leaves for school at 6:30 in the morning. The Venezuelan student says that his family settled in Lago Agrio two years ago, after leaving his country and trying to get established in Peru. The first months in Ecuador were difficult. "They told me go back to your country," he recalls.

At the Ejército Ecuatoriano School there are 200 foreign students out of a total of 1,050, according to the headmaster. This school integrates children who have come to Lago Agrio from countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and the Dominican Republic. Because of its location near the northern border of Ecuador, the city of Lago Agrio hosts a large amount of people on the move. For this reason, UNICEF's actions include a focus on promoting integration and friendship among students.

As he makes his way to school, Ángel talks about what his experience has been like. "Now I have friends I play with," he says. His well-being is reflected in his performance: he is in seventh grade and has very good grades.

Shortly before arriving he meets Merlía, they greet each other and walk together towards the entrance.  

A project for sustainable well-being

"The Smart Resilient Schools Model aims to create safe, sustainable spaces that are able to adapt to the conditions of climate change," says UNICEF Ecuador's Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Climate Change Officer. For Ángel: "A smart resilient school is something that rebuilds itself".

This UNICEF programme is being implemented in vulnerable communities in the Amazon, Coast and Highlands regions of Ecuador. These communities are sensitive to the effects of climate change such as high temperatures and droughts affecting water security. Providing safe water services to schools, with a focus on resilience to climate change, is fundamental to ensuring children’s lives, well-being and their rights to education, access to water and a healthy environment.

As part of the programme, the children attend presentations on good hygiene practices. "Every day we work on these issues and the workshops have a big impact on the students, they are spreading the word," says the headmaster. 

The school day is over. Ángel and Merlía have taken their exams and are talking about their results. They joke about the answers while they freshen up in the bathrooms. It’s been a long day. At the school gate, their parents are waiting. 

In Ecuador, UNICEF is working to improve water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools in the Ecuadorian Amazon, protecting the environment and strengthening schools’ resilience to climate change. This is possible thanks to support from individual donors and funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the U.S. Department of State (BPRM).