School Sanitation Improvements
WASH system rehabilitation
This project includes repairing or rebuilding latrines, improving rainwater capture, connecting tanks to wash stations, ensuring continuous water for hygiene, and providing hygiene education. Parent committees and school councils receive training in operation and maintenance, while students participate in hygiene education, water safety campaigns, and leadership activities that promote water conservation.
This project will directly benefit approximately 850 students across five rural schools, along with their teachers, families, and the broader communities who will indirectly benefit from improved sanitation and hygiene conditions.
local challenges
Many rural schools in Comitancillo operate with damaged or collapsed latrines, insufficient water storage, cracked roofs, and limited hygiene infrastructure. Across Guatemala, more than 5,700 schools lack potable water, and diarrheal disease remains one of the leading causes of illness among young children. These conditions impact students’ health, safety, and disproportionately affect girls’ attendance.
a successful model
This project follows a successful model implemented across eight schools in 2025, where renovated bathrooms, new latrines, handwashing stations, roof-catchment systems, and water tanks dramatically improved student hygiene and attendance. Teachers in those schools reported visible reductions in gastrointestinal illness and increased student motivation. Communities formed maintenance committees, and training sessions built local ownership for long-term sustainability.
