Developing guidelines for water, sanitation and hygiene promotion in schools : report of a regional consultation : paper presented in Chiang Mai, Th...

The environment in which children live invariably influences them at all stages of their lives, before birth and in their homes, schools and communities. More than 1.4 billion children (5-14 years of age) live in developing countries facing many of the biggest environmental challenges. Amongst others, environmental factors such as availability of safe water sources for drinking, bathing and washing, and sanitary facilities affect the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. Diarrhoeal disease alone accounts for 17% of all deaths in the developing world. Nearly 94% of the burden of diarrhoeal disease is attributable to the environment, and
associated with risk factors such as unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene. Helminth diseases, which are caused by intestinal worms found in soil and vegetables, are among the common health problems of school-age children in developing countries. Unsafe schools pose risks for the health and development of children and adolescents. Some conditions, such as the lack of proper sanitary facilities or latrines for girls, discourage young women from attending school. In developing countries, lack of water often forces people, usually women and young girls to spend a lot of time fetching water, often at great distances from the home, or to extract water from alternative, unsafe sources. Lack of access to safe water and sanitation facilities has important implications for the education of children, especially girls since they bear
the major burden of carrying the water home from distant sources, preventing them from attending school. In developing countries, lack of sanitation facilities is a major reason for girls dropping out of school. [authors abstract]