Student and Staff Toilets
Water, sanitation, and hygiene are not luxuries—they are the foundation of a healthy school. Lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) leads to illness, absenteeism, and poor academic performance. It contributes to girls dropping out of school at puberty. It undermines morale, affecting both student attendance and teacher retention. For a child, a safe and private toilet is not only a matter of health, but of dignity.
Recognizing its critical importance, the United Nations has declared access to WASH a universal human right. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for adequate and equitable WASH for all by 2030.
Like many rural schools in East Africa, Dumbeta Ward’s schools lack adequate toilet facilities for students and teachers. Toilets are often unsafe, unsanitary, and offer little privacy. Until 2017 none of the schools had hand-washing sinks. The community has consistently prioritized replacing the Ward’s dilapidated school toilets with new facilities. The Rafiki Village Project is committed to partnering with the community to meet this need by constructing school toilets that meet—and exceed—Tanzanian national standards. These standards require gender-separated facilities with private, lockable stalls; age-appropriate fixtures; spaces for menstrual hygiene management; accessible toilets for students with disabilities; and handwashing sinks with running water.
Safe, private, and hygienic school toilets do more than meet national standards—they protect health, preserve dignity, and remove barriers to education. When students have access to clean water, handwashing facilities, and secure, gender-separated toilets, they are more likely to attend school consistently and remain enrolled through graduation. By partnering with the community to improve WASH facilities in every school, the Rafiki Village Project is helping create learning environments where all children—especially girls—can thrive with confidence, safety, and pride.
