Better school facilities are improving love for learning
The high school in Durgun village, Khovd province, has over 60 staff and 620 students, and the dormitory has 120 students, 3 teachers, 4 cooks and 4 guards. Both the students and staff had to use an outdoor toilet, not a pleasant experience when winters reach -35 Celcius.
Dembereldorj, grade 2, exclaims, “I am happy with this toilet. It is warm. I can wash my hands and face. It is nice. The other toilet was cold.”
In partnership, the Khovd provincial government, World Vision, and the MobiCom Corporation, built a sanitation facility for the school and dormitory students and teachers, implementing the project from October to November, 2014. A clean, safe and warm sanitary facility helps create a child friendly environment for the students, at the school, which is 1,500 kilometres away from Ulaanbaatar.
Both the students and staff had to use an outdoor toilet, not a pleasant experience when winters reach -35 Celcius.
The sanitation facility cleaner, Bilegt, says, “This toilet is easy to clean. It has hot and cold water. Children like to use it and wash their hands.”
Davaajargal, a teacher, said, “I have worked as a junior class teacher for the last 25 years. All these years, the toilet was located outside. It was very difficult especially in the winter. The children’s hygienic condition has improved. They use comfortable toilet, then come back to the classroom to continue studying. I thank for the organizations behalf of my students.”
Tsengel, grade 6, lives in the school dormitory with her older and younger brothers. She said, “Before we have this new toilet, the old one had slippery floor. It was cold. It was dark. We used to stand in a queue outside. Some children used to come to the toilet not wearing any jackets, but now we are not cold even when we are not wearing any jackets. It is safe for children.”
Watch a video from this project
Grant Profile
Grant Project Name: Mongolian Schools Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene Project
Funded by: MobiCom Corporation, Khovd government
Time frame: March to November 2014
Purpose and Objective: Many children in Mongolia do not have access to clean water or decent sanitation facilities. Mongolia Schools Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene Project supports schools, communities and government to develop local solutions to prevent poor hygiene and sanitation practices.
Khovd ADP’s target community Durgun village, Khovd province, has better health outcomes by using improved sanitation facilities and water sources and adopting good hygiene practices, particularly in schools, for over 620 students, 40 teachers and over 20 staff.
Outcome 1: Facilitate the provision of improved drinking water and sanitation facilities at target rural schools.
Outcome 2: Improved hygiene behaviour by students and teachers in targeted schools, and support community education campaigns.
Outcome 3: Project effectively managed and monitored in collaboration with partners.