Behavioural Change among Children’s in Hand Washing

Mandal Parishath Primary School , Kapra is in the north eastern part of ever expanding city of Hyderabad under the administrative jurisdiction of Greater Hyderabad Municipal corporation (GHMC). SaciWATERs with the support of WaterAid India is intervening in few slums of GHMC Kapra circle to improve WASH services in schools and communities. Most of the MPPS students are residing in J.J nagar Colony and their parents are working as a Garbage collectors and daily wage labourers.

Group hand washing with soap before the mid-day meal is an important component of Government of India’s Swachh  Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya – ‘Clean India: Clean Schools’ campaign. Earlier there were no hand washing facilities at Mandal Parishath Primary School, J.J colony and the children would wash their hands at drinking water stations. But a recent renovation effort by the SaciWATERs with assistance from WaterAid India installed hand washing station to raise awareness on hand washing and hygiene behaviours among children and in turn among their communities which has brought about changes in the practice of hand washing and it is followed every day.

This study tries to capture the successful habit of good hygiene behaviour of children in washing hands before their mid-day meals at school. As the clock strikes 12, students of class-1 guided by a child cabinet member Vimala of class 4th come marching out of their classroom towards a hand washing station. Maintaining an arms distance from each other, they walk in a synchronized fashion carrying their plates, reach the wash basin and in almost synchronized manner wash their plates and hands. They queue up in a separate line at the cook to serve them the mid-day meal. All this while, the child cabinet members of all the classes make sure that they do not touch anything and make them to sit in neatly defined rows of school corridor.

Once they are finished another batch of class-2^nd students walks towards the basin to wash their hands and plates in similar way. Within a span of 15-20 minutes all the students of MPPS have finished washing their hands and go to their respective classes carrying their meals (from class 3^rd –class 5^th  they will have the mid-day meals in the class room since there is no space in the school premises to have lunch).

This is a welcome change in the school, where only a few years back children, despite being aware about the benefits of hand washing with soap, did not practice it regularly, either before eating their meals or after going to the toilet says vice principal Sambamma, that after the SaciWATERs mobilisers visit to the school and children was given hygiene sessions which made them to follow it regularly. Few observations from the school are given below.

• All the students in class and child cabinet members and aaya’s alternatively share this responsibility and make sure everyone has washed their hands even after the meals.
• Earlier the school doesn’t have a hand washing stations, SaciWATERs with the help of WaterAid India have constructed the hand washing platform in the school to promote hand washing as a good hygiene habit
• Present there is no running water facility in hand washing basin (SaciWATERs is working on it to provide a water motor) aaya and child cabinet member Rakesh gives the water and soap to the children for plates and hand washing. There is a water storage tank beside hand washing station connected with municipal water supply.
• There are 2 toilets for girls, 2 toilets & 3 urinals for boys which doesn’t have a running water connection and in unsanitary condition.

Restoration of toilets and water connectivity work is in progress which is being constructed by WaterAid via SaciWATERs

“We use to say a lot about the cleanliness and hygiene but the children are more impacted by the people coming from outside i.e SaciWATERs mobilisers for teaching the hygiene messages. Students are so happy to form a child cabinet group and interested in checking and performing their duties” says MPPS teachers and vice principal.

“I tell my parents that they must wash their hands with soap and water after using the toilet, and before eating. Otherwise they may fall ill. They listen to me, and in case if mother forgets to do so, I remind her, and she immediately washes up,” says Puja who is a prime minister for child cabinet.

SaciWATERs will assist in improving the monitoring of WASH in schools; importance of hygiene in day to day life including the live demonstration of hand washing was given to school children, teachers.

School children have the potential to bring a effective change they are able to demonstrate positive practices that they have learnt at school, thus influencing their families and community to adopt these behaviours. Few students are carrying their own soaps, in case if there is no provision of soap at hand washing platform.