Learners, government, and partners convene in Uganda to advance safe sanitation, hygiene, and climate-resilient WASH in schools
The 3rd National WASH in Schools symposium, held under the theme "Accelerating Access to Safe Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Learner," brought together learners, government officials, and sector partners across two linked events in Uganda.
The pre-event Learners' WASH Parliament, held on 6 October 2025 at Kamuli Township Primary School, gave pupils from eight schools across four districts a platform to debate sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual hygiene management through a blend of formal parliamentary procedure and learner-led dialogue.
The main symposium, held 7–8 October in Jinja, opened with a keynote on investing in climate-resilient WASH services and continued through panel discussions and side sessions on strengthening WASH indicators for SDG 6.1 and 6.2, addressing menstrual hygiene stigma, developing a Climate Resilient WASH manual for schools, and building long-term advocacy and financing for the sector.
IRC Uganda contributed across multiple sessions, chairing discussions, presenting preliminary findings, and reinforcing its commitment to data-driven, climate-resilient WASH programming. The symposium closed with a call from the Ministry of Education and Sports for continued collaboration, investment, and policy coherence to ensure every learner has access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.