2022-2023 Faculty Research Grant

Joel Raveloharimisy (Behavioral Sciences).

A missing-link: Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programs to Promote Girls’ Education and the Daily Experience of School-Age Girls in Madagascar.

Abstract: Since the rise of women’s empowerment, girls’ education has been on the agenda of all development forums in an effort to ensure equality and state development. Additionally, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector is one of the most integral units of both the humanitarian and development field. However, through an analysis of preliminary data collected in Madagascar, we noticed that though many WASH programs and efforts have been carried out, girls are not using the latrines provided and transmittable diseases are spread in school. Girls are dropping out of school. This research explores the relationship between WASH and girls’ attendance and retention in school. It provides the possible ‘missing link’ that explains the lack of efficacy of WASH in alleviating female school dropouts. We use a cross-sectional study of WASH facilities in Ambatondrazaka, Madagascar, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct the study