In the heart of the swampy Ilaje region of Ondo State, where wooden canoes outnumber cars and the sound of waves echoes through school corridors, 10-year-old Rachael bends to wash her hands under a rusted tap. The water trickles slowly. Sometimes, it doesn’t come at all.
She’s one of over 200 children who attend a primary school built on stilts, surrounded by water but suffering from the lack of clean water, working toilets, and basic hygiene tools. For Rachael and her classmates, something as simple as washing their hands before eating is a privilege, not a habit.
This is the paradox faced by many climate-impacted schools in riverine and underserved communities across Nigeria. The very environments shaped by water suffer from the absence of safe, reliable, and dignified water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. But a silent revolution is taking shape—one that reimagines WASH hubs not just as infrastructure but as an ecosystem of care, health, and learning.
Why WASH Matters in the Era of Climate Change
When children miss school in Ilaje, it is rarely because of books or uniforms. Often, it is because they fell ill after drinking unsafe water or using dirty toilets. In communities affected by sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion has made many wells unusable. Flooding disrupts septic systems. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant puddles, spreading malaria.
And girls face an even tougher battle. Without private toilets or menstrual hygiene products, many stay home during their periods. In one school in Aiyetoro, the headteacher told me that some girls miss up to a week every month. Over time, the gap in attendance adds up—and dreams begin to erode.
This is where WASH hubs can make the difference between a child dropping out or staying in school. A WASH hub is more than just a tap or latrine. It is a child-safe space designed to provide clean water, functional toilets, soap for handwashing, menstrual hygiene resources, and health education. When done right, it becomes a beacon of dignity and safety.
The Everyday Reality: A Broken System
In a rapid survey of 10 schools across Ilaje LGA, only three had functioning toilets. Just one had a designated handwashing station. None had consistent access to clean water during the dry season. Many relied on community wells contaminated by floodwater or open defecation.
Most shocking was the condition of the facilities. In one school near Zion Pepe, the toilet was a collapsing wooden shack perched dangerously close to the river. Children used the surrounding bush instead. When asked why they had no soap, a teacher replied, “Even chalk is hard to find.”
But the problem is not just infrastructure. It is maintenance. It is ownership. It is accountability.
Several schools received WASH facilities from donor-funded projects years ago, but today, many of those structures are abandoned, vandalized, or repurposed. Some were poorly constructed. Others lacked follow-up. Communities were not trained to maintain them. The result is a cycle of waste and neglect.
Local Solutions That Work
Despite the challenges, models of success exist—driven not just by funding but by community ownership and innovation.
In Igbokoda, a low-tech WASH hub was constructed beside a flood-prone public school using locally sourced materials. Rainwater is harvested from the school roof into a tank elevated on bamboo stilts. A low-flow handwashing station was built using repurposed plastic bottles and foot-operated taps to reduce contamination.
Toilets were designed as gender-separated cubicles with washable floors, waste pits lined with used car tires to prevent erosion, and solar lamps installed to enhance safety for girls. Local artisans were trained to maintain the structures. Parents volunteered to lead sanitation monitoring. Children took part in a “WASH Club,” learning to become hygiene ambassadors in their classrooms.
The results? Absenteeism dropped. Reported cases of diarrhea and skin infections declined. Girls stayed longer in school, and teachers reported increased concentration among students.
It was not a multi-million-naira project. But it worked—because it was owned by the people it was meant to serve.
Reimagining WASH Hubs: What We Need Now
If Nigeria is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation for all), we must rethink the way WASH infrastructure is implemented in climate-impacted schools. Here are five guiding principles:
- Child-Centered Design: WASH hubs should be built with children’s height, safety, and gender needs in mind. Girls must feel safe using the toilet. Younger children should not need help to open a tap.
- Climate Resilience: In flood-prone communities, infrastructure should be elevated or floatable. Where saltwater intrusion exists, filtration systems or rainwater harvesting must be prioritized.
- Community Ownership: Local parents, artisans, and teachers must be trained in maintenance and monitoring. Without this, even the best structures will fail within months.
- Hygiene Education: A WASH hub is incomplete without behavior change. School-based health clubs and peer-led hygiene campaigns foster habits that last a lifetime.
- Integration with School Feeding & Health: Clean water supports nutrition. Safe toilets reduce disease. Menstrual hygiene boosts retention. A WASH hub should be integrated into every aspect of school wellbeing.
A Vision for Scale
Imagine a Nigeria where every child can drink clean water at school. Where no girl skips class because she is menstruating. Where every schoolyard has a functional toilet. Where health begins with a simple act: washing your hands.
This vision is achievable. It does not require skyscrapers or foreign aid. It requires commitment, creativity, and collaboration.
Scaling up low-cost, climate-smart WASH hubs is possible through a blend of local leadership, government policy, and smart partnerships with the private sector. Social enterprises can design modular sanitation units using recycled materials. Telecom providers can sponsor solar-powered water dispensers. Local governments can create budget lines for WASH infrastructure. NGOs can train sanitation champions in every school.
Let us not wait for another pandemic to remind us that handwashing saves lives.
Children Deserve More Than Chalk and Chairs
As I watched Rachael rinse her fingers with the little water available, she looked up and smiled. “My aunty says clean hands mean clean thoughts,” she said. I smiled too, but my heart broke a little.
Because behind that smile is a reality no child should face.
Clean hands should not be aspirational. Toilets should not be a privilege. In every drop of clean water lies a child’s right to health, dignity, and education.
The time to act is now.
