Disability inclusion in sanitation and hygiene services a case study of physically disabled children in primary schools, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The issue of disability inclusion in sanitation and hygiene interventions has always been a challenge in school Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to assess inclusion of physically disabled children in sanitation and hygiene services in primary schools in Tanzania. Physically disabled pupils and teachers from 30 (53%) primary schools participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion, observation checklists and document review were the tools used in obtaining data. It was found out that, although the physically disabled pupils were incorporated in normal schools, their needs in terms of sanitation and hygiene services were not considered. Of the visited schools, 64% of the physically disabled pupils faced barriers in accessing and using school sanitation facilities. The barriers encountered directly by the pupils were in both technical and social aspects. The technical barriers were the underlying cause of the social barriers, a snag that can lead into pupils’ dropping out of school. Another source of barriers, found by the study was teachers’ perception and understanding of physical disability. However, of the visited schools, only 21% had special latrines for the disabled but almost all were not user friendly to them. The study also found out that, almost all physically disabled pupils (96%) and their teachers (90%) were unaware of the interrelationship that existed between use of unfriendly sanitation and hygiene facilities and its effect on education. It was concluded that disability inclusion in sanitation and hygiene services for pupils in primary schools has an important role in breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and disability.