We are App State students doing what we can to help our fellow mountaineers succeed in helping those over in Ethiopia who need the proper tools to take care of their hygiene! Here is a little bit about the 2025-2026 Ethiopia Bathroom Project.

Safe water, sanitation and hygiene are key components to health and development of individuals and communities. Ethiopia has made significant strides in improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygienic environments but still falls behind many countries around the world. In Ethiopia, 39% of schools are without sanitation stations and 76% do not have access to improved water supply (World Bank Group, 2024). A study in Addis Ababa including 98 schools showed that 65% had improved water services, 31% had sanitation services and 36% had hygiene services (Melaku et al., 2023). Of these schools, a disparity of services in relation to gender were seen. Female students had less access to these essential services than male students.

Water, sanitation and hygiene services are particularly important to female students. It is estimated that more than half of girls who are menstruating will miss multiple days of school each month due to the lack of sanitation and hygiene services at school (Adane et al., 2025). The interruptions to schooling of female students is due to menstruation and providing safe and hygienic spaces for them to manage their menstruation periods. Water, sanitation and hygiene services are essential to their continued education.

On a study abroad trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2025, the class visited the Arbegnoch Pre-Primary, a primary and middle school. The school administrators expressed a great need for bathrooms for their female students. This need was brought back to varied audiences within App State and a movement to provide bathrooms was started. A team of Appalachian State University students want to support the effort to build sixteen bathrooms for female students at an elementary/middle school in Addis Ababa. This will be in partnership with the school administration and will be overseen by Amir Ahmed. The University faculty that will be overseeing the fund raising and liaison to the project will be Drs. Liljestrand and Brown. They will be in consistent communication with the school administration and overseer. The project is estimated to cost $10,000.00. That cost will cover new pit latrine bathrooms with toilets, a hygiene station for female students to bathe themselves during times of menstruation and a handwashing station.

References

Adane, Y., Ambelu, A., Yenesew, M. A., Mekonnen, Y., & Kassahun, T. (2025). Effect of menstruation on school attendance of girls along with water, sanitation, and hygiene services in Northwest Ethiopia. The Pan African Medical Journal, 50, 28. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2025.50.28.45413

Melaku, A., Mengistie, B., & Addis, T. (2023). The Status of School Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Progress Towards Achieving the SDG 6. Environmental Health Insights, 17, 11786302231199003. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786302231199003

World Bank Group. (2024). Building a Period Friendly World–One Toilet at a Time. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2024/05/28/building-a-period-friendly-world-one-toilet-at-a-time