Children as agents of change

26 October 2017

Nearly one in ten children in Lesotho dies before reaching her fifth birthday. Too many of these deaths are related to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene, which can increase a child’s vulnerability to disease and infection. In addition, only 47 per cent of girls attend secondary school in Lesotho.

UNICEF is working with the Government to launch water and sanitation initiatives at 20 schools across the country. The programme, that brings safe water and toilets to schools, are especially benefitting for girls. Collecting water is often a colossal waste of time, but fetching water may also increases their risk of sexual abuse.

At the primary school level, UNICEF's interventions are also accompanied by WASH clubs, which promote learning about positive hygiene and sanitation. The hygiene skills that students learn in school can turn them into vital ‘agents of change’, both now and into the future as they become parents themselves. And they are transforming whole communities as a result.

Read the full UNICEF story here.

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