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In February 2009, the Principal of the Molar Band MCD School in New Delhi, explained to Lotika Shaunik Paintal, founder of Water Centric, how the construction of a small septic tank can make a huge difference in the lives of a 1000 young school girls:
“I am so grateful that Water Centric will be building a septic tank for our school. Our toilets, although constructed four years ago are unusable, as the city sewers still do not extend to our school. The new septic tank will allow our 1000 students to maintain their dignity and get some privacy by using toilets –instead of squatting outdoors as they currently do every school day to relieve themselves!”
Water Centric wasted no time. The septic tank was completed in less than 2 months while the school was closed for summer recess. Funds were raised in the USA with help from H2O for Life and the Asian Club at Chelsea High School. The Molar Band School in New Delhi also made an in-kind contribution. Meanwhile, Water Centric’s NGO partner in India, Sakshi, made sure that the construction process went smoothly on the ground.
The facilities are now operational. The 1000 students have resumed classes after vacation – and are finally able to access functioning toilets for the first time ever.
Water Centric is very pleased that five schools in the United States through the organizing efforts of H2O for Life have partially sponsored five of our Delhi schools.
This spring students from Brooklin, Maine’s second and third grades started writing letters to its partner school in India.
The kids were very excited to make a connection with the school and children they were supporting.
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In Delhi the school children were equally excited to get these notes and to learn that kids their age had helped provide the funds to improve their school. They responded with heartwarming letters of gratitude.
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My name is Saiba. I am studying in Class Vth. I am 10 years old. I like to do cleanness. Before this programme our school was very unclean but now the condition is changed. Now everyone have neat and clean. You have done a great help for our school, very-very thanks. |
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My name is Hazra. I am 8 years old. I am in class IVth. I am thankful to you. Before your support my school’s condition was not clean and now condition is going better. I will again write letter to you. Thanking you. |
We hope this intercontinental dialog will continue to build bridges between these kids and enable them to better understand the international challenges of water, sanitation, health and hygiene.
Did you know that diarrhea kills more children than Aids or malaria? Diarrhea is a serious issue in developing countries.
Because human feces can carry 50 communicable diseases, they are an efficient weapon of mass destruction. Half of the hospital beds in sub-Saharan Africa are filled with people suffering from what are generally known as water-related diseases.
Clean water supplies are only part of the solution. Solutions need to include more sanitary systems, vaccines for rotavirus as a standard for children in the developing world, and less open defecation. Author Rose George emphasizes that sanitation is the most cost-effective disease prevention tool we have.
Water Centric believes that better hygiene education is at the core of reducing water borne diseases in school children thereby increasing their performance and attendance in school. A Hygiene Education program also helps change behavior, such as making washing of hands before eating and after going to the toilet routine. Children carry many of the key messages home, slowly improving the quality of lives in their homes and communities.
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Working closely with our partner NGO, Sakshi, Water Centric has formed hygiene clubs in all 10 Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools that it has been involved in so far. At each school, Sakshi met with teachers and instructed them on how to organize and involve school kids in these clubs. |
| The children in the hygiene clubs are learning fundamentals of hygiene and the importance of following good hygiene practices. The children in the club have roles and responsibilities for keeping their peers informed and their school clean. |  |
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Recently teachers from five of our schools published a joint newsletter with contributions and articles written by the children. |
| We view these clubs as an effective way to involve the children and to teach them responsibility for their hygiene and the maintenance of the facilities. |  |
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Women in a rural village in the state of Haryana, India are pushing for toilets. Some are taking a strong stance on the issue and going as far as divorcing their husbands if their homes do not include indoor facilities. Government funding is also helping the increase of toilets.
Students and teachers from six schools in Thimphu, Bhutan attended the inauguration of a five-day workshop on school sanitation and hygiene education. Now the students have an additional responsibility – to be agents of change in creating awareness on sanitation and hygiene in schools and communities.
World renowned Sanitation proponent, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, addressed the students, “Mere provision of sanitation facilities is not enough. It’s the use of latrines and hygiene behaviour of people that provides health benefits.
Read more about the Bhutanese student efforts in this article here.
Look out for news about Water Centric as well as interesting articles, profiles and organizations doing great things in helping bring Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education to Schools in Need
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