Sheikh Abdisalan Secondary School, one of the largest schools surveyed in the Ethiopia 2025 WASH Survey, serves 3,990 students and 99 staff in Jigjiga, Somali Region. While the school has a connection to the municipal water network, piped water is not available on demand. Instead, water is manually collected and stored in jerry cans for daily use, limiting availability and creating pressure on hygiene services.

The school faces severe sanitation challenges. At the time of the Needs4Water assessment, no functional latrines were available for boys. The single girls’ latrine had a collapsed wall, leaving students with little privacy or safety. As a coping strategy, girls paired up to use the facility for mutual support and protection.

The area surrounding the latrine was strewn with discarded water bottles, as students brought their own water for personal use. Lacking a proper waste disposal system, the school resorted to periodically burning the accumulated plastic, a practice that poses environmental and health risks.

These findings underscore the urgent need for structural repairs, waste management solutions, and safe, accessible sanitation to protect student health and dignity. Project 12’s recommendations for Sheikh Abdisalan focus on immediate latrine rehabilitation, proper waste collection systems, and reliable water access throughout the day.