Restoration of WASH facilities transforms school life for girls in Mozambique

Landinho, Zambezia - “Before the school had water, I had to ask the teacher to go home during the time of menstruation. I would miss two days of school every month,” says Anatalia Daniel, a 14-year-old student at the Landinho primary school.

The waterpoint at Landinho’s school was destroyed in March 2023 by Cyclone Freddy, which left a trail of devastation throughout the province of Zambezia in Mozambique. It left students and teachers without easy access to water for more than six months. The lack of onsite water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities had an outsized impact on girls at the school.

“When girls were menstruating, they would stay home for 2-3 days and miss all the lessons,” Anatalia’s teacher, Ms. Zuhari Rui Goncalves, 36, explains. “The destroyed waterpoint affected girls in particular. During the tests, girls would not know some of the answers, and the absences were being reflected in their grades, compared to the boys.”

UNICEF rebuilt the waterpoint and restored access to WASH facilities at the school in October 2023. This immediately improved the learning experience of all students.

“Having water directly impacts on having quality time in the classroom. Everything happens quickly and easily when we have water. The children don’t have to ask to go home and wash and clean themselves,” says Ms. Goncalves.

The benefits of having renewed access to water were particularly evident among girls. Ms. Goncalves noted that “now the girls do not miss any days - they go to the bathroom, clean themselves, and come back. Girls are attending the lessons and doing better in the tests.”

Anatalia confirmed this, too. “I am happy now. It is easy to use the water at the school during this time. I do not miss any days of school.”

UNICEF is restoring waterpoints damaged in Cyclone Freddy throughout Zambezia with the support of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).