UNICEF Youth Leading in Water Resilience

Challenges and Lessons Learned 6 While the Youth Leading in Water Resilience Project achieved significant impact across schools and communities, several challenges emerged during implementation. These challenges offered valuable insights into the realities of working within school systems, communities, and multi-partner environments. From scheduling constraints to infrastructure limitations, each obstacle provided an opportunity to reflect, adapt, and improve future planning. The lessons learned from these experiences will help strengthen project delivery, ensure more inclusive participation, and enhance the sustainability of similar initiatives moving forward.

Challenge 1

Timing and the School Calendar

The project launched during a critical period when schools were finalising academic activities and preparing for exams. Many had already committed to their annual plans, limiting their capacity to fully engage.

Solutions Applied

Adjusted schedules where possible to accommodate school availability and focused on smaller group engagements rather than whole-school activities.

Lesson Learned

Begin engagement in Term 1 to align with school planning cycles and secure buy-in early. This ensures smoother integration into timetables and maximises participation.

Challenge 2

Short Project Duration

The project officially began in July, but funding delays pushed the implementation to September. With only six months for execution, schools had minimal time to adjust. The absence of a trial phase limited opportunities to troubleshoot.

Solutions Applied

Compressed training and testing timelines to meet project deadlines and provided close support to schools for rapid uptake.

Lesson Learned

Incorporate at least 2 months of trial testing before official data collection begins. This helps build confidence and allows early identification of challenges.

Challenge 3

Difficulties with Large Engagements

Delivering training in large assemblies made it difficult to keep learners engaged. Demonstrations were often hard to see, and attention was difficult to maintain in noisy or crowded settings.

Solutions Applied

Followed large sessions with smaller, focused activities for eco-committees and selected learner groups to reinforce learning. Smaller, interactive sessions are more effective for practical learning. Prioritising hands-on engagement after large events enhances comprehension and retention. Lesson Learned

Meeting Beneficiary Targets

Challenge 4

Last-minute changes by schools—such as limiting the number of grades involved—affected reach. Partnering with organisations helped expand access but introduced coordination complexities.

Solutions Applied

Partnered with CWP and youth organisations to diversify engagement channels and expand reach beyond schools. We conducted assembly trainings and in some instances applied the training of the trainer approach

Lesson Learned

Maintain flexibility and contingency plans to accommodate schedule changes. Clear communication and strong coordination with partner teams is key to achieving impact targets.

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