Each morning, my pupils walk from miles away to get to school. With them, they bring a water container. The nearest well is 2.5km away - this is too far for children to go during the day and the journey would interrupt their lessons. So, we built a “tippy-tap” outside each class. These are hands-free wash stands made from jerry cans and sticks, tied together with string. They operate by foot lever to stop any bacteria spreading - the children only touch the soap.

Class monitors are responsible for filling up the tippy-taps and checking them several times a day. Children need somewhere to wash their hands and faces, to stop them getting infectious diseases. The monitors also make sure the medicated soap doesn’t fall in the dust and get dirty.

At our school, a child’s health is more important than how much they learn. We are one of the most remote schools in the district and children aged between 3 and 18 come from communities as far as an hour away. If the young ones get ill, or their eyes get spoiled by trachoma (a common eye disease here caused by bad bacteria - it can leave children blind), their attendance goes down. But when children are at their full health, they don’t miss classes and perform much better.

Maureen Mwinga is the headmistress at Ngangula School, Chinkankata, Zambia