UNICEF and Germany improve safe water and sanitation conditions in schools

Schools in Moldova are benefiting from interventions that modernize water installations, electrical systems, ventilation, and sanitation blocks. The new water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities are designed to meet high standards of cleanliness and safety, creating healthy spaces for students. 

These improvements are made possible through the Strengthening the National Social Services and Systems for Vulnerable Children and Refugees in the Republic of Moldova Project, implemented by UNICEF with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the German Development Bank (KfW).  

The intervention aims to modernize infrastructure in schools across the country. In many of them access to safe water, functional sanitation facilities, and clean spaces remains a daily challenge. The situation is more severe in rural communities, where 70 percent of schools do not have indoor sanitation facilities, and every second institution lacks a wastewater collection and treatment system. 

For the investments remain durable and functional in the long term, representatives of educational institutions learned how to operate and maintain these systems during the workshop “Efficient Management of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Facilities in Schools” organized within the above mentioned project. 

Voices from the schools

School representatives emphasized the direct impact of the new facilities on students’ health, motivation and participation.

“In a clean environment, children think freely and express themselves with confidence”. 
Mihaela Zagornean, biology and chemistry teacher, “Grigore Vieru” Gymnasium, Ialoveni 

For teachers, school conditions directly influence how students learn and behave. 

“In a clean and well-organized environment, children can think freely and express themselves with confidence”, says teacher Mihaela Zagornean.

She highlights that hygiene is the foundation of health and that modernized infrastructure helps students understand the importance of hygiene rules. “We can create a clean and safe space together only if students have the necessary conditions and if we, adults, offer them guidance and a good example”. 

“Today’s children can no longer learn in the conditions from 30 years ago”. 
Nicolae Lungu, principal, Ustia Gymnasium, Dubăsari 

Principal Nicolae Lungu speaks about the reality in many villages: students are still in a situation where they have to use old outdoor sanitation facilities.

“These conditions create psychological discomfort and can affect the learning process”, he says.

In his view, the changes brought by the project are essential for today’s generations. “Children are taught to wash their hands before meals or take part in activities that require hygiene. Modern infrastructure is no longer a luxury but a necessity”.

For him, this workshop provided practical tools: “The daily, weekly, and quarterly checklists will help us maintain the sanitation blocks in good condition and properly plan maintenance budgets”. 

“When facilities are inadequate, students do not want to come to school”. 
Irina Tașoglo, accountant, “Mihai Eminescu” Gymnasium, Ceadîr-Lunga, ATU Gagauzia 

Irina Tașoglo stresses that students’ well-being depends directly on the conditions they find at school.

“If they do not have a place to wash their hands or if the sanitary facilities are not equipped, they face difficulties and do not want to come”.

She explains that teachers and principals can guide students to understand the importance of hygiene, especially when school infrastructure allows these practices to be applied: “Students need not only rules but also examples”. 

“We cannot talk about education if children’s basic needs are not met”. 
Natalia Cereșnea, principal, Peticeni Gymnasium, Călărași 

For many institutions, access to modern sanitation blocks represents a historic change.

“Until now, we only had outdoor toilets. Children accustomed to modern facilities at home often felt uneasy at school”, says principal Natalia Cereșnea. 

She notes that access to indoor sanitation influences not only health, but also learning time, motivation, and students’ emotional well-being. “Based on Maslow’s pyramid, if we do not meet physiological needs, we cannot talk about development, concentration, or performance”.

As a school leader, Natalia takes responsibility for educating, monitoring, and guiding students to use the new facilities properly and responsibly. “Change comes with adaptation, but students respond positively when they receive guidance”. 

A big step for Moldova’s children

A modernized school infrastructure contributes to a safe and healthy educational environment that directly influences students’ participation and the quality of the learning process. Proper water, hygiene, and sanitation conditions support children’s motivation and offer them a stronger foundation for learning and development.

Thanks to the support of the German Government through KfW, schools are undergoing real transformation. Children across the country will have access to safe water, modern sanitation facilities, and secure conditions, while teachers will have the necessary tools to maintain them long term. This is an investment in health, in education, and in the future of every child in Moldova.