Over one thousand students at Kaindi Demonstration Primary School in Wewak, East Sepik Province will now use inclusive WaSH facilities after it was commissioned recently.
The school is the first to have an inclusive WASH toilet facility which catered for children with disabilities such as mobility impairment and visual impairment.
WaterAid PNG in partnership with Wewak District Development Authority through the Wewak District WaSH Coordination Body (WDWCB) recently completed inclusively designed WASH facilities in four urban schools in Wewak.
Kaindi Demonstration Primary School Head Teacher Peter Ulapapik expressed gratitude to WaterAid PNG for the new facility. He said it was a timely intervention because the school needed new toilet facilities.
WaterAid Operations Director Jenny Mori in giving the keynote address said WaterAid PNG was able to deliver the inclusive WASH facility due to strong partnership support from donors and partners.
She acknowledged the funding support of the primary donors Armani and Church of Latter Day Saints (LDSC), as well as Australian Government through the PNG –Australia Partnership, which funds the Water for Women program that WaterAid PNG are implementing in Wewak.
She said future donor support for such initiatives depended on how well beneficiaries of such initiatives looked after the facilities and urged the students and teachers to look after the facilities.
Ms. Mori also acknowledged the support from local partners such as Wewak District Development Authority, East Sepik Disabled Persons Organization, East Sepik Provincial Education Office, East Sepik Council of Women (ESCOW), East Sepik Provincial Health Authority and other Wewak District WASH Coordination Body members.
Wewak District WASH Coordinator Winnie Sagiu also expressed similar sentiments adding that ‘accessing funding was rare’ and urged the school to look after the facility.
WaterAid Senior Technical Advisor Nagasi Namui said the newly built inclusive WaSH facilities were a result of many consultative meetings with student beneficiaries and technical building advise from Wewak District WASH Coordination Body and cost K175,000.00.
“The inclusive WASH facilities were built with consideration of children with disabilities and girls menstrual hygiene management (MHM).
“These include separate flush toilets for male and female students, showers and MHM waste bins for sanitary waste disposal.
“Children with disabilities will use toilets that have accessible pathway (ramps for wheelchair users) and handrails for holding and easy movement and are fenced for security purposes”, he added.
The project is co-funded by donors Armani and Church of Latter Day Saints (LDSC) and managed through the Water for Women Program under the PNG-Australian Partnership.