HEALTH AND HYGIENE AWARENESS PROGRAM IN 50 SCHOOLS

Health and Hygiene Awareness Program in 50 Government Schools of Vidarbha Region in Maharashtra State, India

SUMMARY
 
 

Imagine your child drink dirty water and use unhygienic toilets. What if he/she does not wash hands before eating or after using a toilet? Thousands of children die every day due to illnesses caused by the intake of dirty water.

Did you know that 13 children (under the age of 5) die every day due to diarrhoea, making it the second leading cause of death in children under the age of five (as reported by World Health Organisation)?

CHALLENGE
 Lack of clean drinking water and decent toilets leads to widespread diseases, which then push students out of school and families into poverty. Repeated attacks of diarrhea before the age of two can result in a condition where the body fails to absorb essential nutrients, affecting the physical and mental growth of a child, resulted as children having low height for age and indicates that children haven’t developed as they should.

SOLUTION
 
 

YRA is helping school children in Dist-Washim  to stay healthy by giving them access to safe and clean drinking water through the installation of solar-based RO water filter plant & handwashing stations. We are also working with teachers and student leaders to help everyone in the school absorb good hygiene habits that last a lifetime. Educating children on good hygiene habits alone does not always help. At YRA, in our endeavor to have a long-term impact, we adopt a holistic rural development approach.

Collaboration with schools to empower students through as “Child Parliaments”– Students learn about the importance of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene through various sessions at school. They then share the same knowledge with their families, which in turn leads to an overall change in behaviour of the community as a whole.

Construction of colourful, clean and functional Handwashing Stations in government schools - A functional and colourful hand washing station encourages children to stay clean and adopt hygiene as a way of life.

Easy access to handwashing stations – Designing of handwashing stations so children of any age can access water taps, irrespective of their height.

Installation of RO water Systems to utilize safe and clean drinking water throughout the year, teaching students simple ways of conserving water and using it from time-to-time for their daily chores.

Promoting good hygiene - Through massive awareness campaigns & educative illustrations on the walls of handwashing stations, key messages are shared. Also, children are involved in various play activities, such as singing songs on benefits and steps of handwashing.

LONG-TERM IMPACT

 In the long term, these facilities and habits lead to improved health, reduced incidence of illness, and increased longevity of children in schools. All of this ultimately contributes to a healthier and more productive generation of young leaders in the district.

 Our goal is to raise INR 11, 50,000 for government schools from remote area in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra State to provide adequate hygiene environment and clean water. 

YRA-Yuva Rural Association, Nagpur

M.S. India

http://yraindia.org/

We do request your help to achieve this. Please help by donating or sharing the fundraiser with your friends and family.