Authors: Girum Girma, Lisa Fry
Photo Credits: Alexander Niguse
Blue Schools of Caritas Switzerland in Ethiopia
13-year-old Fatiya attends a Blue School of Caritas Switzerland in Ethiopia. In the school garden, she has learned how to grow fruits and vegetables. Now, she has a garden of her own. She knows the rules of hygiene and has even built a latrine at home. Since then, she and the whole family get sick less often.
"I have a small garden at home with fruits and vegetables," says 13-year-old Fatiya proudly. "At school I learned how to do it. In my garden I grow chillies, sweet potatoes, mangoes, avocados, tomatoes and a neem tree with its bittersweet fruits. My garden is small but very beautiful."
"I am very economical with water," the girl continues. "In our school we take plastic bottles, fill them with water and make a small hole in it. That way, the plants are watered drop by drop. With this system, I can grow plants even during the dry season."
Transferring the Knowledge from Blue Schools to Communities
Fatiya learned all this in a Blue School of Caritas Switzerland. Caritas Switzerland works with the children to plant vegetable gardens, improve water systems and teach children and teachers about the connections between health, nutrition and climate.
Fatiya's parents are small-scale farmers. They live with Fatiya and her eight siblings in a small house in Kerjul, in the Oromia region of Ethopia. Fatiya is proud to pass on her knowledge to the family. "My father always waits for the rain when growing the plants. At school, we water the plants ourselves and don't wait for it to rain. This way we can harvest more. We plant onions, cabbage, chillies, sweet potatoes and papaya. My father grows maize, runner beans and teff. From the teff plant, we get the flour for our national dish 'Injera', the flat bread we love so much."
Latrines at Home
At the Blue School, Fatiya also learned how important hygiene is. "At our school, we have good latrines and the teacher showed us how to use them properly. He said we should also build latrines at home. My mother immediately agreed. My father dug a hole together with my brothers and we collected wood for the wall and grass for the roof. After a week, the latrine was ready and I was very happy." she says. "Since then, me and my family suffer less from diarrhoea and feel healthier."
Fatiya makes sure that there is always soap in the latrine so that everyone can wash their hands properly. She also sprinkles ash in the latrine. She takes her duties very seriously: "I want to help my family and my community. I don't want them to get sick. That's why I want to be a doctor when I grow up."
Covid-19: The Virus Demands Patience
Due to Covid-19, schools in Ethiopia had been closed since March 2020. Fatiya had to practice patience: "I missed school a lot. I see my friends there and we talk and play together." To Fatiya's great joy, the Ministry of Education decided to reopen the schools in September 2020. Fatiya hopes that it will stay that way.
Blue Schools of Caritas Switzerland in Ethiopia
In the rural regions of Ethiopia, water and sanitation services are often lacking. As a result, children get sick and cannot attend school regularly. With the current SWSC project, Caritas Switzerland provides access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation facilities in ten Blue Schools in the Southern Oromia region of Ethiopia. In these schools, Caritas Switzerland also promotes school gardens which are taken care of together with the children and teachers. In the Blue Schools, children and teachers learn about improved hygiene behaviour, climate-smart agricultural techniques as well as environmentally friendly waste management.
