Access to safe water remains a daily challenge for many families in Ghana’s rural Atiwa West District. In these communities, BWF’s on-going initiative brings point-of-use water treatment and safe water education to every home.
The goal? For all families to become Safe Water Families.
But to inspire wide-spread, lasting change requires more than household visits. It needs a whole-community approach.
Our Safe Water Educators (SWEs) act as “change agents,” inspiring families to change unhealthy water habits to safe ones. They also take their safe water message to other segments of the community.
One important segment they reach out to—and according to SWEs, the most fun-filled—are schools and Atiwa West District’s kids.
Through BWF’s active School Health Clubs, students are learning how to protect themselves and their families from unsafe water and, at the same time, how to build happier healthier lives.
Health Club membership is extra-curricular and open to students from grades 4 through senior high. Though joining is voluntary, in many schools, clubs are booming with large numbers of enthusiastic kids.
Maybe they attract kids because club curriculum goes beyond traditional classroom lessons. It’s filled with lively and engaging activities that provide hands-on experiences for kids to learn about water—what makes it safe and unsafe. They learn how good hygiene keeps bodies healthy.
They explore simple ways to test and treat water, how to make it safe by killing bad germs and what to do to keep new germs from getting in.
They also join kids around the world in celebrating global events like World Water Day.
More than safe water and good health, in School Health Clubs kids learn how to belong, how to lead and to cooperate. They learn to choose and support causes that make school, home and community better places to be.
Supported by SWE’s and dedicated school teachers, club members elect their own leaders. they plan, organize and carry out activities together.
By taking responsibility, kids grow in knowledge and confidence. They feel pride in sharing with others what they learn—often becoming the first in their households to understand how to make water safe to drink.
By equipping students with life-saving knowledge today, BWF’s School Health Clubs are creating a ripple effect of better health in schools, homes and communities across Atiwa West District.
“Young students are stepping out to lead the way toward healthier, safer living—starting right in their own schools and communities. I believe that even a little effort invested in these young ones through school health clubs, we will see great results and real change in their communities.”
Children flourish when they’re able to meet their potential, be happy, healthy, curious and strong.
To flourish, one of a child’s highest needs is access to safe water. Through participating in School Health Clubs, children are learning how to provide that access for themselves, for their future and for the next generation of kids to follow.
Sometimes, the most powerful change makers are the youngest among us.
