We all believe that Children have a right to basic facilities such as school toilets, safe drinking water, clean surroundings and basic information on hygiene. But the current scenario seems to be entirely different from the ground reality. Poor sanitation, water scarcity, inferior water quality and inappropriate hygiene behavior are disastrous for young children and are a major cause of high mortality rate in them. Every child friendly school requires an appropriate initiative that keeps the school environment clean and free of foul smells and inhibits the transmission of harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites.
To cater to the above situation, under the guidelines of UNICEF, a program known as WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) in School (WINS) initiated in Schools.
To support the effective implementation of this program The Transformers Value Creators in association with Rotary Club of Chandigarh has adopted 26 Government schools in and around Chandigarh Tricity where around 40,000 students and 8000 Teachers will be sensitized and educated, with improved sanitation facilities and hygiene education that encourages the development of healthy behavior in students for life.
Through this program the focus is to emphasize the importance and value of clean, safe drinking water, sanitation and personal hygiene in school students which would create an enabling environment securing children’s dignity, safety, health.
Further, which also enables maximum class attendance and participation in schools rather than facing absenteeism and loss of their curriculum.
It is a 6 months intensive ongoing program, in which exclusive class wise sessions of students starting from Nursery to 10th , along with respective School Teachers Staff sessions are being conducted by the team Transformers and sensitizing the students about the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH Initiative),
With this effective WASH in Schools programm we have aimed to:
Personal Hygiene and the need to keep our bodies clean, so as to keep ourselves and healthy and disease free so as to safeguard their childhood and perform better in academics.
Effective Toilet Usage Practices and how to keep oneself and the toilets clean even after usage.
Sensitization about the need to wash our hands after regular intervals and specially make the students aware of the events and situations after which hand washing becomes all the more essential.
Develop the personal hygiene behavior and continue better hygiene practices in future. Eight Effective Steps to clean and sanitized hand washing were not only explained but also demonstrated practically, involving the participation of all the students.
How to prevent vandalism and its ill effects which results in damaging of school infrastructure, specially toilets and drinking water areas.
Need of students to take up responsibility and contribute towards the maintenance and upkeep of the toilet and sanitation facilities provided at school.
Create awareness about acute shortage of water resources and the need to take up special initiatives for protection of water resources and to avoid any wastage of water, so as to ensure regular and consistent supply of water.
One such nationwide campaign, “ Rally For Rivers” is also being promoted to ensure maximum involvement of students.
Need of clean water consumption and not to pollute or adulterate water, especially with dirty hands.
Enabling of reverse learning process, where students go back home and educate their parents to influence hygiene practices at home, among family members and in the wider community.
For effective delivery of the sessions, depending upon the age group of students i.e Nursery to 10th practical hand washing demonstrations techniques are used along with props like Dolls for better understanding of the younger children and to let them relate with the concepts more effectively.
The sessions are further enhanced and made more interesting through interactive and pictorial explanation with the help of banners, posters and creative attire. The children are found to be very excited and engaged to learn the concepts of WASH wholeheartedly. Question & answer methodology in also involved to judge the level of involvement and understanding of the students as direct feedback.
Under this WINS program exclusive Teachers’ session for morning & evening shift schools are conducted separately to update them about WINS project so as to seek their maximum cooperation and willingness to support the WINS project.
To strengthen the practical possibility of the project, videos & presentations are used to further make it more clear and easy to understand. The teachers are being updated with the concept and content for the sensitization sessions planned for the students so as to eliminate any missing links in the information .The teachers are also given an ideas about formulation of students’ committees along with necessary checklists to take up the responsibility of maximum toilet cleanliness and maintenance in their respective school.
We hope that the efforts involved in this project turn out to be successful with the lifelong practice of the concepts learned by the students and community.
