WASH improvements in schools affected by conflict in Cabo Delgado

Improvements to the water supply and sanitation in a school in Montepuez, northern Mozambique is helping children to learn in a safe, clean environment.

MENTOR installed a hand pump borehole in Niuhula Primary School, which was badly affected by the ongoing conflict in Cabo Delgado Province. It is part of Save the Children’s Safe and Inclusive Learning (SAIL) project funded by European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

It is one of the schools benefiting from the SAIL project, which is also improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools in Chiure, Metuge, Montepuez and Mueda Districts.

Ibrahimo Bresneves Mania, Assistant Director of the school that includes 151 children displaced by fighting, said:

“Before the new hand pump the school faced serious difficulties because we had to pay for water from the local public water network, which the school struggled to afford.

“But after the new hand pump was installed, we can clean the latrines and the grounds properly, keeping the whole school environment safe for the children. It has also impacted the local community after a water committee was formed, which enables people to buy water at a reduced price. The money raised is used to repair and maintain the pump, ensuring it works well in the long term.

“We are grateful to have access to the precious liquid that is so hard to get in this society.”

Caption: Ibraimo Bresneves Mania, Assistant Director of Niuhula Primary School, with MENTOR WASH Officer Inocencia Massingue and the president of the school council, with the hand pump borehole installed in November 2023.