Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the sanitation and hygiene conditions at schools in Swaziland. It was carried at Ekukhanyeni constituency; a rural community situated about 30 km from Manzini city in the centre of the country. A set of two questionnaires were developed and used to collect data on sanitation awareness and practices in all the 12 schools in the community. One set of questionnaire was administered to all the principals of the schools and another was administered to learners of the highest level in each school, who were randomly selected from each school on the basis of class lists. Water samples were collected from dominant sources of drinking water for each school during the dry season and wet season. The water samples were analysed for total coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococci. The majority of schools (8) had boreholes as their dominant sources of water supply. Three schools sourced their water from protected springs, where the water was piped to the schools. One school relied on vendors who delivered the water using mobile water tanks. The total coliform counts were higher than the acceptable standard of less than 10 counts per 100 mL for potable water for all the schools, except one school which sourced its water from a borehole. E. coli and Enterococci were detected in water sources from four schools. The toilets to learners’ ratio were higher than the recommended ration of 1:30 for all the schools. About 87% of the learners reported that they always used toilets to relieve themselves. 64% of the learners perceived the toilets as clean and free from excreta. Only 34% of the learners reported that they always washed their hands after using toilets. About 66% of the leaners reported that they were taught aspects of sanitation and hygiene in their respective schools.

Keywords:

Domestic water, hygiene, sanitation, water quality,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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The authors have no competing interests.