In the heart of Emakhandeni, young minds gather each day with the hope of learning—and living—a better future. But inside the walls of Emakhandeni High School, a quiet crisis is unfolding. While the school strives to educate students about health, hygiene and wellness lack of reliable water supply has rendered basic hygiene practices impossible.
According to the latest Bulawayo City Council minutes, the school faces a double challenge: municipal water arrives at a mere whisper of pressure, and their borehole—once a dependable source—now runs dry during critical periods. Without water, handwashing becomes optional, toilets go unflushed, and learning about becomes a toll order.
Access to water in schools is not only critical for creating a conducive learning environment and averting a ealth critis, it is also imperative for advancing the secual and reproductive health and rights of female students who are goig through their menstrua; cycles. The always drying borehole will also adversely affect the school’s potential to teach agricultural and science subjects.
Voices for Water (V4W) would like to call to the attention of the relevant authorities including the area legislator Honourable Discent Bajila and the local Councilor to take note of this precarious situation. Funds like the Constituency Development Funds and the Ward Retention Funds may go a long way in alleviating the situation. We also call to attention the school development committee (SDC), local businesses, philanthropists and water service providers to come to the aid of Emakhandeni Secondary School.
