healthy schools project

Healthy Schools Project

Peace Corps – Ministry of Education

Interamerica Region and The Pacific

Peace Corps

Sergio Mack

Peace Corps Guatemala

Introduction

• Letter of Understanding with the

MOE signed up in 1996

• Western and northern highlands:

• High indigenous population density

• Subsistence farmers

• Low health and education indicators

Project Goals

• Participating students practice

healthy habits in the school

• The school has the minimum

sanitary conditions to allow the

practice of healthy habits

Healthy Practices in the school

• Move from theory to practice

• The “heart” of the project:

• Hand washing after using the latrine

• Hand washing before the school snack

• Tooth brushing after the school snack

• Clean body and dressing

• Healthy practices everyday, every

classroom, every teacher

School Sanitation• It is needed to facilitate the practice

of healthy habits

• The school is healthy if students do

practice healthy habits

• Basic sanitary conditions:

• Water and faucets

• Pit latrines or flushable toilets

• School kitchen

School SanitationSchool rain

catching systems

School SanitationSchool wells

School Sanitation School Latrines

School Sanitation

School kitchen

School septic tanks

School Sanitation

Water tanks

School Certification

The evidence that it works

Percentage

Hand washing after using the latrine, by year. 2008

Source: EORM Chiallí, Tactic, AV. Healthy Schools Project Evaluation 2008

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2008

The evidence that it works

Percentage

Tooth brushing after eating the school snack, by year. 2008

Source: EORM Chiallí, Tactic, AV. Healthy Schools Project Evaluation 2008

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2008

Student’s cleanliness by year, 2008

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006 2008

Percentage

The evidence that it works

Source: EORM Chiallí, Tactic, AV. Healthy Schools Project Evaluation 2008

Percentage of participating schools certified as healthy

0

20

40

60

80

100

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Percentage

counted up to March, 31, each year

Main Challenges

• Lack of water in the schools and other sanitation facilities

• The need to repeat constantly to students the same hygiene messages and teacher’s perseverance

• Integration with parent’s health promotion projects

Partnerships & Resources

• Local Municipal funds

• Private Sector: Local bank and/or

local NGO’s

• Local materials and unskilled labor

force provided by the student’s

parents

¡…Thanks IAP!