Basic Education Project in Nigeria Global Grant GG1526237

 

The grant will pay for a new borehole; furnishing new health practice room/sanitation building; the material components of this project: books, uniform, school equipment and supplies as well as for safer windows and doors of the school building to ensure the safety of the students and secure the equipment in school. The purpose of this Global Grant is to improve school attendance and graduation rate.

 

Presently,
- 84% of eligible children between the ages 5 to 17 years are not attending school, as the parents find it difficult to provide textbooks and school uniforms for their wards. Humanitarian assistance is required in this regard.
- The existing school building is in a bad state and therefore requires refurbishment, for example, install safe doors and windows.
- The villagers’ access to medical facilities is about two hours away. The road is so bad that only specialized vehicles can safely ply same. It becomes worse when the rains arrive. To improve the sanitary conditions in the school and thus minimize the outbreak of diseases, increase immunization rate, and general well-being of the villagers, it is planned to install a bore hole and provide and equip a sanitation block to enhance the school health practice. 

 

The overall impact of the above activities is the desire to achieve school net enrollment and attendance ratio of 80% and a gross enrollment and attendance ratio of 90% in the next three years. Net attendance ratio is the percentage of official primary school-age population that attends primary school whereas the gross attendance ratio is the total number of students attending primary school regardless of age – expressed as a percentage of the official primary school-age population.

 

In 2012, a borehole was installed to provide clean water for the villagers who had until then a stream as their only water resource available. The old borehole was about a kilometer from the school building and was located at the other side of the road. Attempts to connect water from the existing borehole may be disrupted by road construction and attendant pipe busts. In addition, the terrain is rocky making it difficult to obtain the necessary gradient for water pressure to be maintained over the distance. By adding a second borehole, clean and healthy water will be provided and will be the resource for the sanitation block to provide a healthy physical learning environment for the students.

The grant will provide furnishings for a health exam room with primary medical equipment and supplies to students who will not be able to see or cannot see a physician at the hospital two hours away from the village. It will allow the access to fundamental health services such as education on hand washing, toileting, drinking water, disease prevention practices and health events such as childhood immunizations and child wellness check-ups will have a positive effect on attendance and graduation rate.