WASH in Schools (WinS) - linking education, health and gender

The COVID-19 pandemic beckoned attention to the importance of the timely delivery of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene to schools. Without WASH, schools could not be opened. In 2021, GIZ, UNICEF, WaterAid, and the WinS Network facilitated several virtual events and exchanges between Ministries of Education, global experts, and development partners on safe reopening of schools and pandemic preparedness and response through the lens of WASH in Schools. In preparation for an exchange event, country delegations used the Enabling Environment (EE) matrix, a set of [five] interrelated sector functions that impact the capacity of governments, supported by public and private partners to manage WASH service delivery, with a special focus on school-based management. Thus, using the EE matrix, like a camera lens, one can gauge the impact of WinS on education, health, and gender.
This session will present the 2022 JMP report on WASH in Schools and examples of good practice for pandemic preparedness and response, and safe reopening of schools that were institutionalised within the Education sector in different parts of the world. Importantly, this session underscores the undeniable importance of WASH in keeping schools open, and demonstrating its power to link education, health and gender.