600 million children do not have basic drinking water in their schools by Unicef, WHO, Solidarités International 10:27am 4th Jun, 2018   600 million children do not have basic drinking water in their schools, by Kelly Ann Naylor - Head of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) at UNICEF    When we think of what young people need to get a quality education, we consider the obvious: teachers, books and a safe space. Farthest from our minds are water, sanitation and hygiene, or WASH. It remains a grievous fact that when people are deprived of their rights to safe water and sanitation, it’s usually the most vulnerable who suffer.    As a WASH specialist, I’ve seen the benefits to communities when systems that provide safe water are built in both humanitarian and development contexts.    In Yemen, for example -- a country brought to its knees as a result of war and disease -- millions of children live in the shadows of a cholera outbreak fueled by the absence of a strong health system.    Children spend on average 40 percent of their day at school. They go to learn and develop skills, but the lack of WASH services at school affects learning and prevents children from realising their full potential.    A recent global assessment of WASH in schools, the first of its kind, shows that 600 million children worldwide did not have basic drinking water in their schools in 2016. 1 in 4 primary school students and 1 in 6 secondary school students have no drinking water service.    Under these conditions, during a seven-to-eight hour school day, the average child - boisterous and energetic - would most likely experience side effects of dehydration: headaches, dizzy spells and difficulty concentrating.    Half the world''s schools lack clean water, toilets and handwashing    The problem does not end there. In 23 percent of schools globally, there are no sanitation services, so some students may defecate in the open -- a cause of preventable disease. And girls may miss school when there are no toilets to manage their periods. Only two-thirds of schools have toilets or facilities where human waste is hygienically separated from human contact in Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.    We now know that, 900 million children worldwide lack basic hygiene services in school - simple water and soap. This means a bad situation is worsened when children cannot wash their hands.    So, this is the harsh reality of school for millions of children: dehydration, open defecation and the exposure to diseases like diarrhea. School becomes an unhealthy place to be when students lack access to seemingly basic things like safe drinking water, toilets and soap and water to wash their hands after defecating and before eating.    But, we know how to fix this, even in the most dire circumstances. In Yemen, as part of the humanitarian response to the cholera outbreak, WASH programmes were mobilised for more than 1.5 million students in almost 3,770 schools. Through these programmes, children who dare to go to school, despite being on the doorstep of attacks due to the ongoing conflict, were given hygiene kits with soap bars and taught healthy hygiene practices.    If education is the key to helping children escape a future of poverty, WASH is key to helping children safely maximize their education. With access to these services in schools comes the knowledge of its importance to their health and wellbeing, and over time, whole communities may adopt hygiene practices that could help prevent disease.    That is why basic WASH services in all schools by 2030 is a key Sustainable Development Goal target, but, unfortunately, the world is far from achieving this.    So our task is clear. We must prioritise the funding, installation and maintenance of basic WASH services in all schools and inform children of the benefits of using them. Doing so helps protect and promote the health, as well as the future of our children, our families and our communities.    http://data.unicef.org/resources/wash-in-schools/ http://www.unicef.org/wash/ http://washdata.org/reports    Sep. 2018    303 million 5-17 year-olds are out of school worldwide.    1 in 3 children and young people between 5 and 17 years old living in countries affected by conflict or disaster – 104 million – are not in school, a figure that accounts for more than a third of the global out-of-school population, according to a new UNICEF report. In total, 303 million 5-17 year-olds are out of school worldwide.    The report notes 1 in 5 young people aged 15 to 17 years old living in countries affected by conflict or disaster have never entered any school, and 2 in 5 have never completed primary school.    A future stolen: young and out-of-school looks at the education situation of children and young people from pre-primary to upper secondary age across all countries, including those affected by humanitarian emergencies.    “When a country is hit by conflict or disaster, its children and young people are victimized twice,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “In the near term, their schools are damaged, destroyed, occupied by military forces or even deliberately attacked, and they join the millions of young people out of school, and as the years progress they seldom return. In the long term they – and the countries they live in – will continue to face perpetuating cycles of poverty.”    With less than 4 per cent of global humanitarian appeals dedicated to education, the report calls for more investment in quality education where children and young people can learn in a safe environment, from pre-primary to upper-secondary, in countries affected by complex humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises.    The report looks at the global situation of out-of-school children and young people, highlighting that across the world:    Nearly 303 million children and young people aged between 5 and 17 years old – around 1 in 5 – are out of school globally.    More than half of out-of-school children of primary-school age live in countries affected by emergencies.    Poverty remains the most significant barrier to education globally with the poorest primary school age children 4 times more likely to be out of school compared to their peers from the richest households.    By current trends, the number of 10 to 19 year-olds will rise to more than 1.3 billion by 2030, an increase of 8 per cent, the report says. Providing this future workforce with quality education and better employment prospects will yield greater economic and social dividends.    “This is a critical moment in history. If we act wisely and urgently, we can empower and skill young people to be prepared to create peaceful and prosperous societies,” said Fore. “The alternative is too bleak. We cannot afford to fail.”    http://data.unicef.org/resources/a-future-stolen/ http://data.unicef.org/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/1-3-children-and-young-people-out-school-countries-affected-war-or-natural-disasters http://blogs.unicef.org/evidence-for-action/    Sep. 2018    “Many people are not aware of the scale of the education crisis - and the first step to affecting change is to make people aware just how serious the problem is," says Theirworld President Sarah Brown.    "This is an entire future generation missing out on the opportunity to receive an education and have the best start in life, which every child deserves."    We look at some of the reasons why over 260 million children around the world are being deprived of an education and a future.    Conflicts    An estimated 158 million school-age children and adolescents are living in over 20 countries and areas currently affected by armed conflict. Millions have had their education disrupted by wars and conflicts in the past year.    Unspeakable violence against children was revealed in a United Nations report in June.    UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “The United Nations has verified more than 21,000 violations committed against children in 2017 and reliable reports of more than 10,000 children killed or maimed in armed conflict last year."    Attacks on schools    Schools are supposed to be safe places for children. But more than 21,000 students and teachers were harmed in attacks on schools and universities around the world over a five-year period, a shocking report revealed in May.    They were targeted in bombings, air strikes, abductions, intimidation, sexual violence and recruitment into armed groups. The result is children staying away from school.    Hundreds of attacks on schools by armed factions around the world showed a “blatant disregard” by armed groups for both international law and children’s lives.    Refugee crisis    More than half the world''s school-age refugees are excluded from education as host nations struggle under the weight of growing humanitarian crises.    Four million refugee children around the world do not attend school - an increase of half a million from a year earlier - the UN refugee agency UNHCR said in a report last month.    Only 61% of refugee children are at primary school - compared to 91% of all children across the world. Just 23% of adolescent refugees attend secondary school, compared to 84% globally.    Child labour    The United Nations wants to eradicate child labour by 2025. But with millions of children under the age of 18 working, that''s going to be a massive task.    Across the world, 152 million children aged five to 17 are victims of forced labour and often miss out on education, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).    They toil in homes, mines, fields and factories, carry heavy loads, work long hours and suffer exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances.    Discrimination against girls    More than 130 million girls between the ages of six and 17 are still not getting an education - and 75% of them are adolescents, according to a World Bank report in July.    Fewer than two in three girls in low-income countries complete primary school and only a third finish lower secondary school. Only about 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school.    Girls are four times more likely to be out of school than boys from the same background. The poorest girls also have the least likelihood of completing primary school. There are also often legal, religious and traditional practices that discriminate against girls getting an education.    Disabilities    Children with disabilities are more likely to miss out on school than other children. Even if they go to school, they are more likely to leave before finishing their primary education.    For children who are already marginalised, such as girls and children living in rural areas, a disability creates an additional barrier to accessing education.    The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that in some countries "being disabled more than doubles the chance of never enrolling in school". Throughout Africa, less than 10% of children with a disability are in primary education.    Poverty    Some of the poorest countries in the world struggle to finance an education system for all their children. But evidence shows that if we invest more in education, poverty is reduced at a faster rate, there are long-term health benefits and greater gender equality.    Funding is an important issue when looking at reasons why girls aren’t in school. Education for girls is often the lowest budget priority in many countries.    Daughters are perceived to be less valuable once educated and less likely to abide by the will of the father, brother or husband. Often male siblings will be given the chance to attend school instead.    Child marriage    About 12 million girls a year are married before the age of 18 - often with devastating consequences for their health and education.    Poverty is often the key reason for child marriage but protracted conflicts or natural disasters also put more girls at risk.    The UN is aiming to end the practice by 2030. About 25 million early marriages have been prevented in the last decade, with the biggest decline in South Asia, where the risk of a girl marrying before her 18th birthday has fallen from 50% to 30% in recent years.    Natural disasters    Disasters displaced 18.8 million people in 135 countries last year. Of these, 8.6 million were triggered by floods and 7.5 million by storms, especially tropical cyclones.    They included hundreds of thousands of children whose education was stopped or disrupted due to schools being severely damaged or destroyed by the extreme weather conditions.    The South Asia floods in 2017 destroyed or damaged 18,000 schools and left 1.8 million children out of education.    Hunger    Lack of daily, nutritious meals can mean children dropping out of school or not being able to concentrate in the classroom.    A daily school meal is a strong incentive for families to consistently send their children to school. Just 25 cents can pay for one school meal, while $50 feeds a child for an entire academic year, according to the UN World Food Programme which provides to more than nine million schoolchildren in Africa.    The economic and hunger crisis in Venezuela has driven children out of school. Three million of the country''s eight million students have been missing classes - due to lack of food, transport to get to school or basic facilities such as electricity and safe water.    Language    Millions of children, particularly in rural locations, are much more likely to drop out of school unless they can learn in their mother tongue. About 500 million children are taught in a language they don''t speak at home.    The UN education agency UNESCO has long encouraged mother tongue instruction in primary education, with research showing that it is the optimal language for literacy and learning.    In the developing world, children are more likely to enrol and succeed in school if they are taught in their own language. In particular, girls and rural children with less exposure to a dominant language stay in school longer and repeat grades less often if they learn in their native tongue.    Violence at school    Not only is this a violation of their human rights, it is also one of the most common causes for girls to drop out of school.    An estimated 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused on their way to and at school every year - with girls particularly vulnerable. In Africa, half of all children said they had been bullied at school.    18 million girls aged 15 to 19 are victims of sexual violence - often leading to school dropout and reinforcing cultural practices such as early marriage.    Lack of teachers    To get every child in the world into school, there will need to be an extra 25 million primary school teachers.    Many existing teachers, especially in the least developed countries, are untrained, underpaid and working with scarce resources.    In many countries affected by conflict, there can be a lack of teachers because they have been become targets for attacks and intimidation. Many teachers also drop out because they are poorly paid or spend too much of their time on non-teaching duties.    Child soldiers    Children have been used in wars in at least 18 countries since 2016, says Child Soldiers International.    More than 20% of the 197 UN member states still enlist children into their militaries, including 17 states which enlist as young as 16.    About 19,000 child soldiers are still serving in South Sudan - although a few hundred have been freed this year.    Pregnancy    In many parts of the world, girls who are pregnant - regardless of their circumstances - will be excluded from school.    Many do not return after giving birth due to those rules, stigma, fees, lack of childcare and the unavailability of flexible school programmes.    About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some one million girls under 15 give birth every year—most in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.    Journeys to school    A simple walk to school can be extremely unsafe or intimidating for some children. Many parents refuse to send their children - particularly girls - to school in case they are harassed, exploited or sexually abused.    Many children in remote communities also have to make the most unimaginable and dangerous journeys every day to access education.    Some walk along treacherous cliff edges. Others trek into the mountains for miles or cross broken bridges to be at school on time. For children living in rural or poverty-ridden areas there is no quick solution and often it is easier to quit school.    Lack of toilets and sanitation facilities    Nearly half the world''s schools lack clean drinking water, toilets and handwashing facilities, putting millions of children at risk of disease, experts have warned.    Almost 900 million children have to contend with a lack of basic hygiene facilities during their education, putting their health at risk and meaning some have to miss school.    In parts of sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, girls can miss out on up to five days of school per month or stop going to school entirely because of insufficient access to water and hygiene facilities, no separate toilets for girls and a lack of sanitary supplies. Many girls also worry about sexual advances from boys in mixed toilets.    Street children    The United Nations estimates there are up to 150 million street children in the world - but the exact number is unknown because they are often under the radar of education and social services organisations.    Children living or working on the streets can have complex circumstances and are very vulnerable to exploitation and violence. It’s hard to reach them with vital services such as education and healthcare.    They miss out on their right to education because they are trying to support themselves or their families, so less formal approaches might be needed to try to get them into learning.    http://theirworld.org/news/why-260m-children-are-not-in-school-write-the-wrong    2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation. (WHO/Unicef)    Some 3 in 10 people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and 6 in 10, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.    The Joint Monitoring Programme report, Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goal Baselines, presents the first global assessment of “safely managed” drinking water and sanitation services. The overriding conclusion is that too many people still lack access, particularly in rural areas.    “Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centres,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization. “These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them.”    Millions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, but these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation. Many homes, healthcare facilities and schools also still lack soap and water for handwashing. This puts the health of all people – but especially young children – at risk for diseases, such as diarrhoea.    As a result, every year, 361 000 children under 5 years die due to diarrhoea. Poor sanitation and contaminated water are also linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.    “Safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene are critical to the health of every child and every community – and thus are essential to building stronger, healthier, and more equitable societies,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “As we improve these services in the most disadvantaged communities and for the most disadvantaged children today, we give them a fairer chance at a better tomorrow.”    Significant inequalities persist    In order to decrease global inequalities, the new SDGs call for ending open defecation and achieving universal access to basic services by 2030.    Of the 2.1 billion people who do not have safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic drinking water service. This includes 263 million people who have to spend over 30 minutes per trip collecting water from sources outside the home, and 159 million who still drink untreated water from surface water sources, such as streams or lakes.    In 90 countries, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030.    Of the 4.5 billion people who do not have safely managed sanitation, 2.3 billion still do not have basic sanitation services. This includes 600 million people who share a toilet or latrine with other households, and 892 million people – mostly in rural areas – who defecate in the open. Due to population growth, open defecation is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.    Good hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of disease. For the first time, the SDGs are monitoring the percentage of people who have facilities to wash their hands at home with soap and water.    According to the new report, access to water and soap for handwashing varies immensely in the 70 countries with available data, from 15 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa to 76 per cent in western Asia and northern Africa.    Additional key findings from the report include:    • Many countries lack data on the quality of water and sanitation services. The report includes estimates for 96 countries on safely managed drinking water and 84 countries on safely managed sanitation.    • In countries experiencing conflict or unrest, children are 4 times less likely to use basic water services, and 2 times less likely to use basic sanitation services than children in other countries.    • There are big gaps in service between urban and rural areas. Two out of three people with safely managed drinking water and three out of five people with safely managed sanitation services live in urban areas. Of the 161 million people using untreated surface water (from lakes, rivers or irrigation channels), 150 million live in rural areas.    * Access the report: http://uni.cf/2sPBMM2    Apr. 2018    2018 Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Barometer - Inventory of access to a vital resource, by Alexandre Giraud, Managing Director of Solidarités International.    Even today, around 2.6 million men, women and especially children continue to die every year from diseases caused by unsafe water and an unsanitary environment.    This horrific figure is due to a little-known fact: in 2018, one third of the world’s population is still drinking water that can endanger their health. 2.6 billion people still lack adequate sanitation facilities.    As humanitarian workers, fighting this deadly scourge and its undeserved, atrocious consequences is our daily combat, both in the midst of severe humanitarian crises and at the national and international level, so that the voices of the people we assist can be heard.    On a wider scale, our goal is to defend and uphold the cause of hundreds of millions of people whose most fundamental rights are not respected: families afflicted by war, people living in slums, citizens of failed or failing States, farmers and livestock breeders affected by drought, minorities,etc. More often than not, they are totally off the radar screen, ignored by politicians and the media. They are invisible.    Every year, on the pages of our Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Barometer, we seek to portray the realities of these men, women and children: those who are threatened by cholera in the DRC or Haiti; those who are asserting their right to water in Dhaka; those living in Yemen where water was already scarce before the war; Syrians, Rohingyas, or those living in the Sahel... All those men, women and children whose lives, health and hope for the future are under threat because they do not have access to drinking water and sanitation.    With the assistance of experts from various backgrounds—politicians, humanitarian workers, doctors, academics; this 4th issue of the Barometer examines the current situation of this vital, shared resource, analyzes the causes and consequences of drinking water shortages, highlights the actions being taken to achieve universal access to water and sanitation, evaluates progress made by world nations, condemns the lack of political will and funding, and pinpoints inconsistencies.    It also focuses on a series of proposed solutions, from a local to a global level, so that the forgotten cause of drinking water access will no longer be invisible to the general public, and that appropriate decisions will finally be taken.    Without major political and financial commitments from world nations, without fierce determination from field workers, access to drinking water will not only continue to be a humanitarian emergency, it will also fast become an ever more tangible threat to the whole of humanity: http://bit.ly/2Nwx13C Visit the related web page
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