WaterAid has distributed chlorine supplies for water treatment to schools in Thyolo, Mulanje and Chiradzulu in a bid to promote the use of safe water.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) District Officer, Emmanuel Zumani, said the initiative, which is a five-year plan (2025-2029) called Tiwoloka is aimed at accelerating education and nutrition outcomes for vulnerable children in Malawi.
“So far, 30 schools from Thyolo, Mulanje and Chiradzulu have received chlorine supplies. We also advise teachers how to use the product so that even water from streams is first protected before drinking it,” he said.
The project is funded by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition initiative and will also be implemented in primary schools, Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs) and surrounding communities in Kasungu, Lilongwe, and Ntcheu.
“Some of the primary schools that have received chlorine in Thyolo are Bwalito, Mulolo, Nankhungu, Motheriwa, and Mwabvi,” said Zumani.
In a separate interview, Mwabvi Primary School Head Teacher Stanford Lifa hailed WaterAid and its partners for the gesture, saying with the rainy season around the corner, learners will be safe from waterborne diseases.
“With this chlorine from WaterAid and its partners, we feel that our 1,115 learners at this school will be safe from waterborne diseases,” he said.
Another Head Teacher at Motheriwa Primary School, Lyson Kansawa, while thanking the organisation and its partners, saying learners used to suffer from waterborne diseases, something that he said would now be history.
“The provision of chlorine reassures teachers and parents that learners are now safe from waterborne diseases. This will also reduce absenteeism rates,” Kansawa said.
WaterAid anticipates that Tiwoloka Project will achieve its goal of improving literacy and nutrition outcomes among school-age children through a multi-sectoral approach.
The approach combines education, school feeding, nutrition and health, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and agriculture and livelihoods, among other interventions.
CARE is leading the implementation of this initiative in partnership with WaterAid, Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA), and in close coordination with the Malawi Government.
By George Mhango
