PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Developing Countries: Sanitation (5 July 2017)

Our education programmes encourage the adoption of integrated school improvement plans, which include clean water and sanitation as essential elements to prevent disease, promote hygienic practice and enable access to education.

Girls may be particularly disadvantaged when adequate WASH facilities are not available; in addition in some circumstances the availability of water can boost incentives for regular school attendance. The Girls' Education Challenge include activities to improve access to water and sanitation, such as building toilets, providing sanitary towels and working with the local government to reinforce sanitary guidelines. Each project identifies the key barriers to girls attending school and learning - in the very challenging contexts in which projects operate this often includes access to clean water. Projects generally work with communities to ensure WASH facilities are in place and well-maintained, robust monitoring system ensure that plans are implemented and represent good value for money.

In Sierra Leone, we have supported 839 primary schools to receive the water and toilet facilities they need during the post-Ebola recover phase. We intend to provide an additional 190 schools with water points and toilets; as a result an additional 40,000 children will have access to safe water and sanitation.

We finance the UNICEF implemented programme to Accelerate Sanitation and Water for All in 9 Neglected Off-Track Countries, which has reached 1221 schools and created an improved learning environment for an estimated 750,000 school children. A 2nd phase of this programme is anticipated to reach 1000 more schools, where the need is most acute.