BY NED GAGAHE
UNICEF National Officer for WASH in Schools and Health Care Facilities, Patricia Keniherea, has revealed that a total of 30 schools in Central Islands Province are benefiting from the ongoing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Project funded by the Australian Government.
She shared the update following the Global Handwashing Day celebration held this week at Marvin Community High School in Haleta Village, Central Islands Province.
Keniherea said the project is funded by the Australian Government, with technical support from UNICEF, and implemented by the Central Islands Provincial Education Authority.
“The donor is the Australian Government, and UNICEF provides technical support. The project is being carried out in selected schools by the education provider in Central Islands Province,” Keniherea explained.
She said the two-year project began in April 2024 and will conclude in April 2026.
The WASH project consists of two main components — the hardware component and the hygiene behaviour change component.
The hardware component includes the construction of water supply systems, sanitation (ablution) blocks for students, and handwashing facilities, including group handwashing stations and handwashing points near the new ablution blocks.
The hygiene behaviour change component focuses on training and capacity building for teachers, school boards, community leaders, and parents.
“These trainings use the Solomon Islands National WASH in Schools Standards, which the Ministry of Education uses each year to monitor the status of WASH in schools,” Keniherea said.
She said trained school leaders use monitoring and assessment tools provided by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) to ensure standards are maintained.
“The second series of trainings focus on hygiene behaviour change, where teachers and students learn about hygiene and create art and advocacy activities. Through these, they identify behaviours that need changing and promote better hygiene practices,” she added.
Keniherea said Global Handwashing Day provides an opportunity for schools to promote better hygiene behaviour both in schools and at home.
“Today, we are celebrating Global Handwashing Day, which gives schools the opportunity to advocate for improved handwashing practices. Students also perform dramas, poems, and songs to encourage parents, teachers, and fellow students to practise handwashing during the five critical times — before eating, after using the toilet, after playing with animals, after caring for elderly people, and after caring for babies or changing diapers,” she said.
She said this is the first time schools in Central Islands Province have commemorated a global hygiene event of this kind.
“We invited the media to come to the schools to capture stories, commitments, and changes observed. This is the first time for schools in Central Islands Province to commemorate a global hygiene event like this,” Keniherea said.
She pointed out that the event aims to inspire other schools across the country to take similar initiatives, regardless of their challenges.
“We hope this event inspires other schools across the country — even those who might think it’s too difficult or that they lack the capacity — to also hold their own hygiene advocacy and promotion events,” she said.
Keniherea stressed that such celebrations create important opportunities for advocacy and community awareness.
“When we celebrate global events like this in schools, we create an opportunity to advocate for positive change within schools, communities, and families,” she said.
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