Dilla University

This project, titled “Youth-Led Monitoring of Water Quality and Sanitation Risks Using Mathematical Modeling in Ethiopian Communities,” aims to engage secondary school students in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, in hands-on environmental research focused on water quality and sanitation challenges that directly affect their communities. 

Student research is central to this project and will be incorporated through structured, youth-led field investigations combined with guided mathematical analysis of locally collected water quality and sanitation data. Approximately 120 secondary school students (Grades 7–9) will be trained to identify community water sources, measure key indicators such as turbidity, pH, temperature, and distance to sanitation facilities, and record repeated observations over time. 

Students will then analyze their own datasets using descriptive statistics, ratios, graphs, and a simple Water and Sanitation Risk Index, allowing them to translate raw measurements into meaningful environmental evidence. 

The resulting data will be shared through school-based research presentations, community dissemination meetings, summary reports, and documentation submitted to YLACES, ensuring that findings are accessible to both local stakeholders and the broader scientific community.