Apart from air, water is the most important resource for humans. The availability of adequate water and sanitation are essential to protect children's health and their ability to learn in school. There is an interesting close relationship between water supply and sanitation. Any school requiring adequate sanitation must have a stable water source. In this sense, water sources (such as taps and wells) can be considered as examples of sanitation facilities. This may agree with the WHO definition of sanitation, where it refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and feces. The availability of water is not a structure, rather the structures (taps, wells, etc.) that allow the availability and accessibility of this resource can be defined as sanitation structures. These facilities are essential for proper hygiene in any secondary school. The provision of these facilities ensures accessibility to water and therefore quality sanitation. This therefore means that for proper disposal of human urine and faeces, water must be available and accessible. This simple fact defines the strong relationship between water and sanitation. The concept of distance decay outlined by Getis et al, 2008 and location theory as outlined by Alfred Weber, 1929 can be used to explain the intricate relationship between water and sanitation. – CONCEPT OF DECAY Distance decay is the experimental decline of an activity, function or quantity of interaction with increasing distance from the point of origin (Getis et al 1998). This explains the fact that there is a greater intensity (greater spatial interaction) in the use of facilities close to the school area, in particular the distance between the water source and the school building...... middle of paper ...... ties (especially those that make water available) and hygiene. Water is closely linked to the quality of sanitation, adequate education and gender equality. Girls who have to spend time collecting water for family use are likely not in school, so even where schools have adequate toilets, attendance for girls is higher. The lack of adequate private and healthcare facilities impacts girls more than boys, which determines whether they attend school and also influences how long they stay in school, which girls are more likely to enroll in school – and stay enrolled – when they have a measure of protection and respect. Understanding the intricate relationship between water and sanitation using the concept of distance decay and location theory and then applying this knowledge will increase the number of girls in schools especially in sub-Saharan Africa