The first joint initiative of the Wilo-Foundation with its funding partner WaterFoundation is the “Good hygiene – better health” project. Through the project, the Wilo-Foundation is helping to improve the learning environment and living conditions for the approximately 10,000 inhabitants of the town of Bilaa in western Ethiopia. Up to now, the lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities has affected the health of students and teachers at the schools in Bilaa, disrupting the normal learning and teaching practices.

The funding provided by the Wilo-Foundation is being used to build hygienic sanitation facilities and hand-washing facilities that will enable students to apply good hygiene practices. Despite the devastating impacts of the civil war, the foundations for the sanitation facilities have been set up, construction of the walls has been completed and roofs have been installed. Moreover, some 300 workshops have been carried out for women where they learned to make soap. In addition, more than 1,200 community members have attended training sessions on hygiene. In the next few weeks, the sanitation facilities and washbasins will be installed. This will have a positive impact on everyday school life of the approximately 5,000 students in Bilaa.