Construction and rehabilitation of water and sanitation infrastructure in schools in Venezuela

Implemented by UNICEF Venezuela and financed by Global Affairs Canada, this project will seek to provide access to clean water and basic sanitation to 28 schools in vulnerable communities, to ensure minimum dignified standards for children in the context of a humanitarian crisis. The project will improve the capacities and motivation of educational personnel to create an inclusive and safe school environment focused on children and adolescents; and strengthen the technical capacities of the Ministry of Education to offer, expand and sustain quality-learning opportunities.

Among the schools to be supported, 6 are located in rural areas of the states of Amazonas, Miranda, and Zulia and 22 in urban areas of Amazonas, Delta Amacuro, Miranda, and Zulia. Also, 5 of these schools are located within indigenous communities: 4 in the Añu indigenous area of the Sinamaica Lagoon in Zulia and 1 in a Jivi indigenous community in Amazonas.

The baseline conditions of the schools that will be supported by the project are critical. In most cases there is no source of potable water for drinking, nor are there functional toilets. Further, most schools are lacking water and soap for children and school staff to wash their hands. Within this initiative, UNICEF will carry out minor rehabilitation and improvement works and operation and maintenance of existing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure within the school premises. In particular, UNICEF will:

• Repair approximately 170 existing toilets to ensure privacy, safety, accessibility and well-being for children and adolescents, with emphasis on the protection and dignity of girls, adolescents and women
• Repair water and hygiene facilities (sinks, handwashing stations and hygienic surfaces) in 28 existing kitchens and school canteens to improve food hygiene
• Install 28 solar powered pumping systems to promote the use of alternative and sustainable energy sources
• Install approximately 79 water storage tanks (with an average capacity of 2 cubic meters) to ensure continuous water supply
• Address issues in the existing school water and wastewater piping system
• Install 56 handwashing stations within the school premises
• Install 28 water filters and chlorine dosing systems for water potabilization
• Install 28 solar electrolytic chlorinators for local production of chlorine
• Clean existing septic tanks
• Install or rehabilitate rainwater harvesting systems on school roofs

Some civil works will be included to accommodate specific WASH equipment (e.g., establishing concrete bases for tanks; repairing walls for piping; enabling shelters to protect pumping and water treatment equipment from adverse weather conditions, extending their lifespan and ensuring optimal functionality, etc.) and to ensure universal access to WASH facilities (e.g., walkways/paths, ramps, railings, etc.). 

These works are justified by the urgent and imperative necessity to ensure children's basic rights are met. UNICEF will minimize the environmental impact of these actions in part by:

1. Installing rainwater harvesting systems to minimize pressure on other water sources
2. Using solar energy technologies for water pumping and production of chlorine
3. Incentivizing local production of chlorine from salt, thus reducing transportation costs of cleaning supplies
4. Improving sanitation facilities to reduce contamination risk of groundwater and/or surface water resources, and to avoid possible inundations and overflows during rainy periods
5. Promoting waste separation and recycling, as well as waste collection campaigns

Project partner: UNICEF Venezuela

Location: States of Amazonas, Delta Amacuro, Miranda, and Zulia in Venezuela