Our Projects · Rainwater for WASH
Écoles Bleues
Since 2007, IRHA's Blue Schools have combined rainwater, toilets, hygiene, gardens and environmental learning to make schools healthier places to learn.
Many schools have no reliable water, no safe toilets and no soap. This affects children's health and attendance, particularly for girls. Longer dry seasons and erratic rain make it worse. Yet school roofs are large and can catch a lot of rain. This water can serve hygiene, toilets, gardens and learning.
Milestones: – 2007: IRHA creates the Blue School concept, with the first schools in India and Mali. – 2009–2011: Blue Schools in Ghana, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). From 2011: Benin, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. – Since 2011: the SDC-funded Swiss Water & Sanitation Consortium has applied the concept in more than 200 schools. In 2017, IRHA helped develop the Blue School Kit with the consortium in Nairobi. – 2014–2023: Blue Schools in Nepal with Kanchan Nepal and Guthi; Burundi (2014), Mexico (2015) and Bolivia (2018). – 2022–2024: Janapriya (Tobang) and Adarsha schools in Chitwan District, Nepal, with Kanchan Nepal: more than 450 students and staff, 2 rainwater systems (28 m³ in total) and 7 sanitation units to verify: school name – Janapriya/Adarsha (Chitwan) or Janajyoti (Kaski). – 2025: Sri Lanka with LRWHF – 4 schools and 732 pupils and teachers; water quality checked at 23 sources. – 2026: Blue Schools Cambodia with Rainwater Cambodia is starting; Madagascar is in preparation.
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Current partners: Kanchan Nepal, LRWHF and Rainwater Cambodia. Recent funders: Fédération genevoise de coopération (FGC), SITSE and Fondation Gertrude Hirzel. Earlier support came from the SDC, the Canton and City of Geneva, Geneva municipalities and private donors.
Help communities catch, store and use the rain.
