small gardens and vegetable stalls. Health outcomes improved, notably reductions in diarrhoeal diseases among children under five, alongside better hygiene practices at home and in schools.
Students and guardians believe improvements in academic achievement, motivation, and interest in learning will be sustained. WASH participants expressed confidence in maintaining functional water systems, describing clean water as essential not only for health, but also for dignity, education, and livelihoods.
Key Recommendations
General recommendations include strengthening partnerships( with government, NGOs, and vocational schools) and layering EIP and WASH projects within the same communities so all benefit from both interventions.
For the EIP project, recommendations include: training matrons and patrons in counselling and mentorship; holding community meetings to explain EIP parameters; providing EIP application materials in local languages; and integrating sexual and reproductive health and rights into work with participants.
For the WASH project, recommendations include: supporting community-owned management and financial systems; establishing a training programme for water system repairs; and conducting more community education campaigns on governance, maintenance, and hygiene.
Additional recommendations are to diversify funding through community co-financing, privatesector engagement, or social enterprise models to reduce donor dependence; and to explore adding an agriculture-specific project to complement WASH.
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