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PROPOSAL ON SAFE DRINKING WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH)
Pashupati Secondary School
Modi Rural Municipality-7, Ramja Thanti
Parbat, Nepal
1. Background
A healthy, safe, and learning-friendly school environment is essential, yet Pashupati Secondary School (PPSS) lacks reliable access to safe drinking water, adequate functional gender-segregated toilets, and handwashing facilities. Poor infrastructure and limited hygiene resources compromise students' health, attendance, and learning-especially for girls, younger children, and students with disabilities. Aligned with Nepal's School WASH standards and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, this project will improve water supply, sanitation, and hygiene education at PPSS. With Rotary's partnership, the school can become a safe, inclusive, and sustainable environment that protects children's health, supports adolescent girls, and enhances learning outcomes for all students.
2. History of the School
PPSS was established in 1937 as Ramja Language School and has grown steadily into a full secondary institution through strong community commitment and leadership. Renamed and upgraded in 1968 under the late Pradhan Panch Dhanbar Gurung, the school now provides education from nursery through Grade 12 in Modi Rural Municipality-7, Parbat District. Serving 168 students-nearly equal numbers of boys and girls-the school has a long history of producing graduates who contribute to Nepal's social and national development, despite operating with limited resources in a remote setting.
3. Statement the Problem
PPSS faces critical challenges in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). These challenges have become particularly acute since the establishment of boarding facilities, which now house about 50 students-predominantly girls-thereby increasing demand on already limited infrastructure. Access to safe and reliably continuous drinking water is limited, toilets/urinals and bathrooms are insufficient and often in poor condition, and handwashing stations with running water and soap are scarce. These gaps, combined with low awareness and weak hygiene practices, increase the risk of waterborne and communicable diseases, negatively affecting students' health, attendance, and learning outcomes. Female adolescents are particularly impacted, often missing school during menstruation due to inadequate sanitation and menstrual facilities. Addressing these challenges through sustainable WASH programs is essential to ensure a safe, inclusive, and child-friendly educational environment.
4. Objectives of Proposal
1.Provide Safe Drinking Water: Ensure all students have continuous and reliable access to safe drinking water through the installation of a sustainable water supply system.
2. Improve Sanitation Facilities: Construct new and renovate existing toilets and bathrooms with doors/locks to meet adequate standards, including separate facilities for boys and girls, to promote hygiene and privacy.
3. Establish Handwashing Stations: Install adequate handwashing facilities with soap and clean running water at toilets and other key locations (e.g., dining areas) to encourage proper hygiene practices among students.
4. Promote Hygiene Awareness: Conduct regular hygiene education classes for students and staff to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to sanitation and personal hygiene.
5. Enhance Student Health and Attendance: Reduce the incidence of waterborne and hygiene-related illnesses and absenteeism, contributing to improved learning outcomes and a safe, inclusive school environment.
5. Proposed Activities
The WASH program at PPSS aims to create a safe, healthy, and child-friendly learning environment by addressing critical gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene. The project will start with an assessment of existing facilities to identify immediate improvements. Safe drinking water will be ensured through improved water sources or storage tanks, purification/treatment systems, and regular quality testing. Toilets and bathrooms will be repaired and upgraded, including separate facilities for boys and girls, and handwashing stations with soap and clean running water will be installed. Menstrual hygiene support will include changing rooms, access to pads (emergency supply), covered dustbins for disposal, and awareness and menstrual health educational programs for adolescent girls. Hygiene education for students, teachers, and parents, along with an active school hygiene club, will promote sustainable behavior change. Ongoing cleaning, monitoring, and evaluation will ensure long-term impact, improving student health, attendance, and learning outcomes.
6. Implementation
The project will be implemented in a transparent, participatory, and sustainable manner. The School Management Committee (SMC) will serve as the main guiding body, with the school Headmaster acting as project coordinator, and teachers, parents, local government officials, hygiene club members, and student representatives actively involved in day-to-day implementation. A detailed work plan will be developed through consultations with technical experts and stakeholders, and activities will be prioritized based on the initial assessment. Awareness programs on cleanliness and hygiene will be conducted in line with the school calendar, ensuring that all facilities are child-, gender-, adolescent- and disability-friendly. Capacity building will be provided through training for teachers, students, and club members, while the participation of parents and the wider community will be encouraged. Regular monitoring meetings and on-site observations will track progress, with reports submitted to donors. Funds will be allocated to the school at the local government level to support ongoing operation, maintenance, and the long-term sustainability of WASH infrastructure.
7. Time Frame
The total duration of the project will be 1 year (12 months).
8. Expected Results/Outputs
The project is expected to bring significant improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene at PPSS. A permanent supply of safe drinking water, supported by water purification/treatment systems, will reduce the risk of waterborne diseases. Sanitation infrastructure will be upgraded to provide adequate, safe, and clean toilets, including separate and disability-friendly facilities for boys and girls. Enough handwashing stations with soap and water will be installed, encouraging students to develop regular handwashing habits. Menstrual hygiene management will be strengthened through gender-friendly facilities, reducing school absenteeism among girls. Overall, the transmission of water- and sanitation-related diseases will decrease, leading to improved health, attendance, and learning outcomes. Practical and institutional changes are expected, including enhanced knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to WASH among students, teachers, and parents, as well as a fully active health club promoting sustainable practices. A clear school-level mechanism for operation and maintenance will ensure the creation of a clean, safe, and child-, gender- and disability-friendly school environment for the long term.
9. Budget
The estimated budget for this project will be a total of USD 30,000 ~ NPR 4,290,000. A detailed breakdown of the cost will be included soon.
10. Monitoring and Evaluation
Regular monitoring during project implementation will ensure the quality of activities, timely completion, and progress toward project objectives. Key monitoring methods will include weekly and monthly observations of cleanliness, water and toilet usage, and maintenance by teachers and hygiene club members; on-site inspections of structures and facilities by SMC; preparation of annual reports on activities, expenditures, and achievements for submission to the donor; and stakeholder discussions to gather feedback from parents, students, and teachers. After project completion, evaluation will be conducted to assess impact, achievements, and sustainability of the project. This will involve pre- and post-project studies comparing students' health, attendance, learning outcomes, and hygiene behaviors; surveys and interviews to track changes in hygiene knowledge, practices, and water usage; and technical assessments of construction quality, maintenance, water quality, and equipment functionality. Together, these monitoring and evaluation measures will ensure accountability, measure outcomes, and guide long-term improvements in the school's WASH environment.
11. Sustainability Plan
To ensure the long-term impact and continuous operation of WASH facilities, the project will actively engage the SMC and parents in oversight and support. Responsibilities for cleanliness and water management will be shared among students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. The school hygiene club will remain active, regularly conducting cleanliness activities, handwashing sessions, and menstrual hygiene programs, with ongoing training and capacity-building provided to its members. Regular maintenance of toilets, handwashing stations, and water tanks will be carried out with funds from local government to preserve the functionality and hygiene of all facilities, ensuring a safe, sustainable, and child-, gender- and disability-friendly learning environment for years to come.
12. Conclusion
The lack of safe drinking water, adequate child-, gender- and disability-friendly toilets, and regular sanitation in schools negatively affects students' health, attendance, and learning outcomes, with adolescent girls particularly affected during menstruation due to inadequate menstrual facilities. This project at PPSS will address these challenges by providing safe and reliable drinking water with purification/treatment systems, enough clean and gender-segregated toilets, secure bathrooms, enough handwashing stations with water and soap, menstruation-friendly facilities, access to pads during emergencies, and hygiene awareness educational programs. It will improve student health, attendance, and learning outcomes while creating a child-, gender- and disability-friendly, inclusive, and clean learning environment. By ensuring the sustainability of these interventions, the project will foster practically sound sanitation practices within the school and promote positive hygiene behaviors throughout the wider community.
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