China, UNICEF join to improve sanitary health in rural schools
Source: Xinhua |
January 19, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR 14-year-old Yu Wenmin, answering nature's call at school used to be a nightmare.
"Our school toilet never needed a sign, you could just tell where it was by your nose," says Yu, of Anlong Middle School in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
The toilet at the school was the typical rural kind without flushing or hand-washing facilities.
Excrement used to be hauled away once a semester from the facilities, which served 396 students.
"When I used the toilet, I had to hold my breath, step firmly on the edge of the pit and squat, not daring to see what's down there," frowns Yu.
No longer. In September 2012, the old toilet at the school was renovated into a modern one with flushing and hand-washing facilities. A private room is also available in the ladies' bathroom for female sanitation.
"It's so clean and convenient. I no longer need to worry about falling down into the toilet," says a beaming Yu.
The improvement is among a number of sanitary upgrades to the school this semester, results of a project linking three pilot schools in Anlong County with UNICEF and the All-China Women's Federation since February 2012. Through creating a safe, sustainable environment, the plan aims to increase awareness of personal hygiene and environmental protection among rural kids.
Yu also found other changes. A solar heating system was set up in bathrooms; electronic kettles and cups in classrooms provide students with hot water in winter. A field was created for growing vegetables and raising hens to add more nutrition to students' lunches.
UNICEF is aware that facilities and attitudes toward hygiene in more remote provinces continues to lag behind the cities. It aims to expand its program to more schools.
"People are ashamed of toilets, especially in rural China," says Dr Yang Zhenbo, UNICEF water and sanitation specialist. "Toilets are seen as a filthy place and people refuse to invest much in them when they build new houses or new schools.
A 2012 report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization indicated that 36 percent of China's population, or 477 million Chinese, have no access to safe toilets, meaning those that separate human excreta from human contact.
Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF's representative to China, said that "together with the Chinese government, we want to roll this model out across China so that more rural children can benefit."
"Our school toilet never needed a sign, you could just tell where it was by your nose," says Yu, of Anlong Middle School in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
The toilet at the school was the typical rural kind without flushing or hand-washing facilities.
Excrement used to be hauled away once a semester from the facilities, which served 396 students.
"When I used the toilet, I had to hold my breath, step firmly on the edge of the pit and squat, not daring to see what's down there," frowns Yu.
No longer. In September 2012, the old toilet at the school was renovated into a modern one with flushing and hand-washing facilities. A private room is also available in the ladies' bathroom for female sanitation.
"It's so clean and convenient. I no longer need to worry about falling down into the toilet," says a beaming Yu.
The improvement is among a number of sanitary upgrades to the school this semester, results of a project linking three pilot schools in Anlong County with UNICEF and the All-China Women's Federation since February 2012. Through creating a safe, sustainable environment, the plan aims to increase awareness of personal hygiene and environmental protection among rural kids.
Yu also found other changes. A solar heating system was set up in bathrooms; electronic kettles and cups in classrooms provide students with hot water in winter. A field was created for growing vegetables and raising hens to add more nutrition to students' lunches.
UNICEF is aware that facilities and attitudes toward hygiene in more remote provinces continues to lag behind the cities. It aims to expand its program to more schools.
"People are ashamed of toilets, especially in rural China," says Dr Yang Zhenbo, UNICEF water and sanitation specialist. "Toilets are seen as a filthy place and people refuse to invest much in them when they build new houses or new schools.
A 2012 report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization indicated that 36 percent of China's population, or 477 million Chinese, have no access to safe toilets, meaning those that separate human excreta from human contact.
Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF's representative to China, said that "together with the Chinese government, we want to roll this model out across China so that more rural children can benefit."
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