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Meet Gotildah and Rosemary, two Grade 12 students from St. Patrick's Secondary School in Mazabuka. They are the President and Vice President (respectively) of the Ministry of Menstrual Hygiene, one of the “Ministries” belonging to their school's WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Club.
Gotildah and Rosemary are responsible for educating their female peers about menstrual hygiene during puberty, ensuring the cleanliness of the female toilets and stocking up menstrual pads for emergencies. Their leadership directly supports girls at school, ensuring that no learner misses class due to poor menstrual hygiene management.
Like many public schools across Zambia, St. Patrick's faces challenges related to sanitation infrastructure and maintenance. Pit latrines are still in use at many institutions due to several factors, including the high cost of constructing modern sanitation facilities and the maintenance costs of sustaining them, especially for large student populations. Additionally, there is the challenge of access to a consistent water supply in many areas.
Building sustainable systems with our WASH Grant Facility for Schools
To help address these challenges, WATER FOR WATER (WfW) developed a school-based grant mechanism designed to support WASH-related operations and maintenance costs. Rather than providing one-off support, the initiative encourages schools to develop sustainable, income-generating solutions that can fund their own WASH activities over time.
In 2025, St. Patrick’s was one of three schools in Mazabuka which received a WfW grant. Each school was tasked with developing a business plan to sustainably maintain their WASH activities, including maintaining their sanitation facilities, purchases of cleaning supplies and sanitation products such as soap, tissue and menstrual pads.
St. Patrick's came up with a pragmatic, but innovative way to raise funds for sanitation maintenance using their grant - a Chicken Farm!
The school’s WASH Club Matron and Patron, teachers who oversee the club, explained that the funding received ZMW 30,000 (USD 1,550/CHF 1200), was used to convert an existing storage room to a chicken run, and to purchase 200 chicks and feed. The chicks were raised and sold during the busy 2025 Christmas period, generating profits of about ZMW 13,000, which was reinvested into the poultry project and into supporting the school's WASH needs.
By linking entrepreneurship with sanitation sustainability, St. Patrick’s is building more than just a chicken farm; it is building ownership and responsibility within the school community. The school can independently manage its sanitation facilities, and Ministries such as Gotildah’s and Rosemary’s are able to continue to support the needs of the student population.
We recognise that infrastructure alone is not enough, as sanitation facilities, while vital, also require ongoing care and maintenance, for which finances are not always readily available. Through initiatives such as this grant programme, made possible by the support of our partners and champions, schools like St. Patrick’s are equipped to maintain their facilities and take the lead with their own solutions.
And for student leaders like Gotildah and Rosemary, that means creating a school environment where every learner can focus on what truly matters: their education.
We're looking to partner with more institutions to provide sustainable solutions in our communities. Interested in working together? Reach out to us via info@wfw.co.zm
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