WaterSafe by FPS Brings Safe Water to Kenyan Classrooms

Unsafe Water Keeps Children Out of Class

In many Kenyan schools, children still drink untreated water during the school day. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera are a common reason young learners fall sick and miss school. Every day lost to illness is a day of lessons, play and friendship missed, and the youngest children are hit hardest.

A Partner in Education

WaterSafe by FPS gives schools a simple, reliable source of safe drinking water right where children learn. Together with Partners for Care (PFC), WaterSafe units are delivered directly to schools, and teachers are trained to keep them working. The result is healthier children who can attend school without interruption, with more time to learn, play, socialise and grow.

The Impact in Numbers

404 WaterSafe units · 3 schools · nearly 11,700 learners

• Kinungi Comprehensive School: 165 units for about 4,800 learners, with all 53 teachers trained

• Nyamathi Comprehensive School: 162 units for 4,678 learners, with teachers and designated staff trained

• Sossion School: 77 units for 2,220 learners, with teachers and designated users trained

Training that lasts. At every school, teachers and staff learned the correct use, cleaning, handling and maintenance of WaterSafe. At Kinungi, all 53 teachers were also equipped to teach safe water habits to their pupils, so the units stay in good use for years.

Reaching the Youngest Learners

The programme is now reaching early learners in Nairobi's informal settlements. Simba Day Nursery in Umoja serves about 600 children, and Lower Savannah ECDE Centre in Soweto about 700. Safe water is a simple foundation, but it changes a school day: healthier children learn better, play more and build the friendships that help them thrive.