History of the school

The Xang Hai Primary School is located in the village of Xang Hai, Luang Prabang Province. The village is 22 km from the centre of Luang Prabang. The school was built in 2002 and consists of three buildings. 30 pupils attend preschool and 90 pupils attend primary school. Classes take place in the morning and afternoon in seven classrooms.

Condition of the school before the conversion

power supply

Available

Existing water resources and their use

The school is located directly on the Mekong. From there the river water is pumped into a 25,000 l water tank. This water is used to use the toilets, to wash hands and to clean the school. However, the pump is often defective due to the polluted river water. The school has no financial means to purchase a pump suitable for the river water. If the pump is out of order, the school is supported by the neighbourhood in the water supply.

Two hand washing stations are available. However, the hand washing stations are defective and cannot be used. The pupils do not have the possibility to wash their hands during school time.

There is no drinking water available for the children.

Condition of the latrines

There are three toilet buildings with two toilets each.

waste management

There are garbage cans in every classroom and there is no garbage on the floor. There are no rubbish bins on the school grounds, so most of the rubbish ends up on the floor.

There is no garbage disposal system. The garbage is collected on a heap behind the school and burned.

General condition of the school (cleanliness / maintenance work)

There are pupils responsible for cleaning the latrines and collecting the rubbish. However, the cleaning of the latrines, as well as the garbage collection does not seem to take place regularly. Furthermore, there is no training concerning water/hygiene/environment.

Conversion of the school

Measures

• Rainwater collection tank, incl. foundation and pipes: 1 pc. with 4,000 l each
• Drinking water filter: 7 pcs.
• Hand washing stations: 0 pcs., the hand washing stations are repaired.
• Latrine (2 toilets): 0 pcs., an existing toilet building is out of order and should be put into operation. The other two toilet buildings are to be professionally cleaned.
• The river water is not suitable for drinking water, therefore we drilled an additional well.

Teacher training

• Project organization and planning
• Handling and maintenance of the WASH system
• Avoidance and appropriate disposal of waste in cooperation with Plastic Free Cambodia
• Teaching units in the areas of hygiene, environment, drinking water implemented
• Day4Girls workshop for girls over the age of twelve. The girls will be informed and trained about puberty, the associated changes in the body and necessary hygiene measures. In addition, each girl receives a hygiene kit.

Water Analysis

Testing of drinking water quality

Monitoring & Evaluation

Continuous control

Costs per head/child for an effective, long-lasting and sustainable elimination of inhumane conditions 37.50 €.

Detailed project costs

Condition of the school after the conversion

Thanks to Claus Pohle and his friends, the hygienic learning and working conditions of 120 children with a budget of $ 4,256 could be improved effectively and sustainably.

The health risks are thus significantly minimized, and the number of diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitary conditions, impure drinking water and a lack of hygiene are drastically minimized. The Xang Hai Elementary School’s WaSH project was implemented on budget and all of the specified goals were achieved. The quality and quantity of the installed WASH infrastructure and technologies are continuously checked by the local partners from the Xang Hai Center, the partner of Kleine Hilfsaktion e.V..

Date: 21.07.2019

Project coordinates: 20.003462,102.234016

Emergence and meaningfulness – WaSH (water sanitary hygiene) project
During our trip in January / February 2013, we became aware of the disastrous conditions of a school near Banan. There is no drinking water, no hand washing facility and no toilet. The children are forced to releive themselves in the bushes behind the school. It is not hard to imagine which health dangers emanate from this condition.

When Bong and I visit the school together with our team, we ask the children who would like to have something to drink. About 30% of the small children have some water, bottled in an old plastic bottle, cloudy and unimaginably dirty. When a little girl proudly pulls out her bottle to drink from it, I suddenly feel the need to knock the bottle out of her hands. It brings tears to my face, especially as I myself have a little daughter at home. The idea that she would have to drink this broth and then make her emergency (95% diarrhea) behind the school, all without toilet paper and without the option to wash your hands …. this idea will not leave my mind for days.

We had to work out a plan of how we could change this. Back in Germany, I had the opportunity to present this project to the Rotary Club „Willich“. My listeners quickly realized that with little money, many children can be sustainably helped. The projects are sustainable, effective and almost unbeatable in relation to the budget needed and the quality / quantity of the aid. We are building a pilot project and one of our most successful programs has its origins: WASH.

Today, four years later, in cooperation with the two Austrian organizations „Wasser-für-die-Welt“and „Last-Hope“, the Rotary Clubs „Willich“and “Neuss”, we have launched the „moeglichkeitenschenken“initiative Partner agency „springer f3“and, of course, our partner organization „Bareebo“has already converted 21 schools and thus helped around 3,000 children.

Talk to us and become a development worker. We have schools that fit into your budget and you can help there effectively, concretely and sustainably.