Empowering students as WASH Champions in Sheger City, Ethiopia
In April 2025, Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia, in collaboration with Lege Tafo-Lege Dadi Sub-City Women and Social Affairs Office, led a vibrant school-based awareness campaign to promote Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices.
Held on 10–11 April at Waberi Primary and Legedadi Secondary Schools in Legedadi a Sub-City in Sheger City, Oromia State, the campaign aligned with International Women’s Month 2025, which was commemorated under the theme “For ALL Women & Girls: Rights. Health. Education.”
The campaign raised awareness about personal hygiene, environmental protection, and the barriers that hinder girls’ participation in education, particularly the lack of access to sanitation facilities and menstrual hygiene products.
It also promoted the use of clean water, available toilets, and responsible waste disposal, encouraging students to carry these messages beyond the school and into their homes. Local leaders were also urged to prioritize school WASH infrastructure and reduce the factors contributing to girls’ school dropout.
Addressing gaps
To complement the awareness efforts, Habitat Ethiopia also distributed dignity kits to 200 underprivileged schoolgirls. Each kit included four reusable sanitary pads, laundry soap, and other essential hygiene items. While these kits offer meaningful support to help girls stay in school, the need remains high and more must be done to address the systemic challenges behind absenteeism and school dropout for girls.
The campaign also helped spotlight ongoing infrastructure challenges in the school. Although Habitat for Humanity for Humanity Ethiopia had previously constructed a toilet facility at Waberi Primary School, the facility remains underutilized due to a lack of running water. A nearby water reservoir exists but is not functional due to disconnected pipelines and the absence of fencing around the water point, which raises safety concerns.
The Head of the Legedadi Sub-City Women and Social Affairs Office, who attended the campaign, acknowledged Habitat Ethiopia’s contribution to the school and called for the restoration of the water supply. She also emphasized the need to support teachers and students with basic maintenance training, and to encourage the school to take ownership and responsibility for ensuring sustainable use of the WASH facilities.
Empowering students to lead
What made this campaign truly stand out was its student-led approach. A total of 40 student volunteers, 28 of them girls, were trained and mobilized by Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia. The training sessions focused on gender equality, volunteerism, and healthy WASH practices in schools and their communities.
Equipped with this knowledge, the student volunteers actively led the campaign activities, engaging their peers through music, drama, role plays, Q&A sessions, and other mass edutainment formats. Their leadership demonstrated the potential of Youth-led advocacy in influencing change and promoting positive behaviour not only in schools but also the larger community. Indeed, by creating more inclusive and WASH-friendly learning environments, we can help shape futures where no girl has to choose between her health and dignity and her education.