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TRF Trustee & Chair WinsPRID Sushil Gupta

RI Director (2015-17) Manoj Desai

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Editorial Team :PDG Ramesh AggarwalPP Daljit BhatiaPP Namrata Suri ISSUE 4 - Sept-Oct 2016

Bulletin of Rotary India WASH In Schools Program

My dear Friends , Time really flies. Nearly 4 & 1/2 months are over of this year. Significant work is done by now. Even C.S.R. is helping our both flagship projects - WinS & Literacy . Number of partnerships are developed & MOUs are signed. Rotary is becoming 'Preferred Partner'.We have created new mile stones in Public Image too ! This is the time to take the stock of things as many districts are on a roll but some are unable to fulfill their goals. District Governors & WinS Coordinators are invited to participate in WinS Seminar at Mumbai on 19th November, 2016. I am sure your reporting in the given format of power point will make Chairman Sushil Gupta & me proud ! All the best.

Manoj DesaiRotary International Director

Dear WinS Warriors,Since my last message a lot has happened on WASH in Schools front. On 1st of October 2016 we had a

meet in Delhi hosted by UNICEF to take a stock of our achievements during last Rotary years and way forward. In this meet many of the DGs, DGEs and Dist WinS Co-ordinators participated and listened to our Chief Guest Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Tourism & Culture and also Dr. Sambit Patra. They encouraged Rotarians for this wonderful program which will lead us to Clean and Swachh Bharat a free of open defecation.This was followed by workshop organised by Rotary Foundation on how to tap the CSR funds for our programs, which are to the tune of Rs.14,000 crores annually. Both these programs have encouraged Rotarians to take bigger challenges. This year our commitment is to do WinS in over 14,000 Schools. But I am sure that with the kind of enthusiasm I am seeing all over, we shall exceed this target. In addition, I am happy to share that very soon, we are going to be part of National Mission for Clean Ganga and are signing a MOU with the Ministry to take up about 500 schools in Bihar and Jharkhand, which are abutting river Ganges. In addition, we will also sensitize, educate and train the students about the importance of keeping the holy Ganges clean.Looking forward to your feedback through our

PRID Sushil GuptaThe Rotary Foundation TrusteeChair WASH in Schools Target Challenge The inputs we received from the CSR

workshop organized by TRF Trustee Sushil ji, at New Delhi on October 20, 2016 was a revelation for the

participants We learnt, that, every year, corporates in India have to spend 2% of their net profit every year, which currently works out to Rs 14,000 crores, on CSR. The good news is, this amount is expected to increase by 10% every year!!This is a huge resource, which the Rotarians must make use of , particularly for WINS.I request all club and district leaders to take up the assignment of identifying CSR partners on priority.The advantage that we have, is, that, Rotary's credibility is very high. Our success in the polio plus has proved our capability to take up meaningful service projects and complete them successfully.Another advantage of CSR funding is, that, it is perpetual, once a corporate is satisfied with us, they will continue to help us with CSR funds for years to come!So, what are we waiting for?We have a great project in WINS and perennial source of funding from corporate. Let us go forward with enthusiasm!!

PRID P.T. PrabhakarVice Chair, Rotary India WinS

The months of September & October have been full of actions and activities. The Rotary India – UNICEF Advocacy Workshop in Delhi on 1st October was a grand

success with the presence of Hon’ble Union Minster Dr. Mahesh Sharma & MHRD senior officials. The presence of most of the District Governors and Incoming Governors alongwith senior Rotary India leadership reflects the commitment of Rotary in India towards WASH in Schools. The celebration of Global Handwashing Day by Rotary clubs in a big way, pan India from north to south and east to west echoes the seriousness about WASH in Schools Target Challenge. The way the clubs in India are engaging and involving themselves in WASH in Schools, undoubtedly we will succeed in achieving our goals of implementing WinS in over 14,000 schools during this year. Rotary India WinS Committee under the able leadership of Global WinS Chair Sushil Gupta is leaving no stone unturned to provide all possible support to districts through different channels like launch of WinS website, Facebook page, Tata Swach water purifiers and so forth. Soon Rotary clubs will be able to upload their WinS projects on the website through a tool which will be ready by December 2016. Getting progress reports of WinS projects & activities from the districts has been a great challenge. District WinS Coordinators are required to share the reports with the National Committee on regular basis, so that the good work they do, is recognized beyond the district level.

PDG Ramesh AggarwalMember Secretary, Rotary India WinS

http://www.rotaryindiawashinschools.com

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interactive website : www.rotaryindiawashinschool.com

UNICEF - Rotary India High Level Advocacy Workshop on “Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya"UNICEF and the Rotary India WASH in Schools Committee organized a high level Advocacy Workshop on “Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya – Partnering for Results” in New Delhi at Le Meridian Hotel on September 30 & October 1, 2016. The designated participants included Senior Rotary India leadership, District Governors, District Governors Elect, Rotary India WinS Team, Senior


Officials from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, Representatives from UNICEF India and various organizations engaged in WASH in Schools.The workshop was attended by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon'ble Minister of

State for Culture & Tourism, and Mr. Sambit Patra, National Spokesperson, BJP. In his Inaugural Address, WinS Global Chair & TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta described this event as a Stocktaking Exercise and announced that during the last year Rotary has implemented WinS in over 8,000 schools across India. He said, “What encourages me is that everybody has travelled for this seminar, and that includes PRID Rajendra Saboo, RIDE C Basker and PRID and Vice Chair of WinS P. T. Prabhakar, and all the Governors, at their own cost. That shows your commitment to the cause of WinS as well as the future of Indian children.” He congratulated Rotarians for committing to help over 14,000 schools this year, and emphasized that WinS is not only about “building toilets in schools but creating an enabling environment by bringing a permanent positive behavior change in children for their bright future.”Sushil Gupta also shared that The Rotary Foundation has decided to launch WASH in Schools as a pilot in five countries, including India, to meet its long term goal of improving the quality of primary education by providing WASH services, teachers' training, curriculum enhancement, and community engagement. The program also aligns with three of the

six core areas of RI: water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, and disease prevention and treatment. He said, “Even though an international program, it aligns beautifully with our Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He added that the program is ushering in a huge change and a brighter future for our children by providing clean drinking water, group hand washing stations with soap, and gender segregated toilets with assured water supply, assuring menstrual hygiene for girls.Laying emphasis on group handwashing, designed to create a permanent handwashing habit in children and usher in behavioral change, he said: “We have a unique opportunity to sensitize children about handwashing with soap before eating food through midday meals. No other country in the world has midday meals program where so many millions of children have meals at one time. These children will be agents of change for healthy, hygienic practices in the community, and will bring the country out of the menace of open defection.”UNICEF WASH Specialist Ms. Mamita Bora Thakker, who coordinated the entire event, said that providing gender segregated toilets in schools is very important as this ensures that girls do not drop out at puberty. If the girl child stays in school, the problem of early child marriage is addressed and once that is taken care of, she delivers healthy children leading to a healthy gener-ation. Shri Manish Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, speaking on the Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign, said that various state governments are taking on the responsibility of maintaining school toilets, and some have linked operation and maintenance to social forestry. In Andhra Pradesh, some schools have developed small nurseries on their campuses in collaboration with the


Forests Department, and income from these is used for operation and maintenance of WASH facilities. Other states provide funds for operation and maintenance. In view of the large allotments of funds to local Panchayat bodies, the Ministries of HRD, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation have issued guidelines that these funds may be leveraged towards in f ras t ruc tu re development, repair, and maintenance of WASH in School facilities.Shri Manish Garg also announced the recent launch, with support of UNICEF, of the Swachh Barat Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar, which witnessed the participation of over 3 lakh schools from across India in less than 30 days. Under this initiative, participating schools rate themselves on the basis of 39 parameters. On the basis of the facilities reported by the schools, they are rated as green, blue, yellow, orange and red schools.He shared that the Quality Council of India recently did a survey in the 100 best revenue districts in India, and found that 90 percent of toilets are being used. He said, “That speaks a lot on how this campaign is working. They also visited the schools and said the community was involved in the

maintenance of the school toilets.” With the involvement of the local community and the school management committee, behavioral change is taking place and children are motivating households to adopt toilets. He added, “In Rajasthan, nearly 15 lakh children wrote on a single day to their parents from school that they need a good functional toilet in their homes. This is the impact the Swachh Barat campaign is having. It is not just a government program; society is getting involved along with various civil society organizations.” Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, wondered whether we have missed the bus because, even after 70 years of independence, we are still talking about toilets. He further questioned: who will take the lead - parents, teachers, corporates? Underl-ining the fact that he understands the importance of water and sanitation, he shared that he comes from a place in Rajasthan which faced severe water scarcity, and he used to walk a distance of 8 km to attend a school from his house, where there used to

be no tap water available and water for the next day's use had to be fetched from a well 2 km away.He said that it is not what one inherits that is important; what is important is the legacy one will leave behind. He believes that Rotarians should be proud because “We have ourselves chosen this field of social work for giving back to society, nobody compelled us at gun point.” The most admirable achievement of WinS will be the health benefits to future generations of girl children who are often compelled to hold back urination for lack of proper and separate toilet facilities in schools. Addressing the meet, Past R o t a r y Wo r l d P r e s i d e n t Rajendra K. Saboo said that it is appropriate that Rotary India WinS Committee has partnered with Government of India and UNICEF, similar to the successful public-private partnership in polio eradication. He comple-mented Rotary WinS Global Chair Sushil Gupta for his leadership in taking the WASH in Schools program in India to the next level: “As he keeps saying, it is much more than making toilets or providing water. The effect of cleanliness on the country will determine its strength, image and character. Rotarians are known to walk the difficult path and I am confident we will do it.”

Chairing the Concluding Session, TRF Trustee Chair & Past Rotary World President Kalyan Banerjee said that he was aware that there is some confusion amongst many District Governors and Past District Governors on whether to purse Literacy or WASH in Schools. He said, “As far as I am concerned, you can do either, but I'd prefer it if you did both.” He elaborated that WASH in Schools is a part of Happy Schools under Rotary India Literacy Mission, which is a literacy initiative. He emphasized that it is

impossible to achieve success in literacy without WASH in Schools.Rotary India WinS Vice Chair and Past Rotary Director P.T. Prabhakar said that a major challenge is that the Rotary leadership changes every year, at both the district and club level, and there may be some inertia in sustaining the previous year's program by the new leadership. However, Rotarians are very excited about the WinS program and he expressed his confidence that even after two years, Rotary would not abandon the schools where it is implementing WinS and would continue its association with these schools through our partners in service.He stated that of the 1.4 million plus schools in India, over 400,000 need attention. Only 51 percent schools have designated handwashing stations, and only 12 percent have soap and detergent. Addressing these


challenges is a daunting task but we should consider this as an opportunity. He said that it helps that WinS is a focused project of TRF with funding support, and Districts can also fund WinS projects with their DDFs.BJP Spokesperson Mr. Sambit Patra said that as a Rotarian and before that as an Interactor, “I feel like that I am with my family, it is great that

Rotarians have undertaken the responsibility to fulfill the vision of Gandhiji and the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He mentioned that providing separate toilets for girls is imperative, as women in slums, even in Delhi, get up at dawn for their toilet needs and often during festivals, even skip their food so that they do not need to use the toilet. Right from childhood, girls are trained: "You just can't go anywhere, learn to control.” This is not necessary for

boys. The damage that toxins, not regularly expelled from the body, can cause to health is well known.PDG Ramesh Aggarwal, Member Secretary, Rotary India WinS, said India has 1.47 million schools with 130 million children, and the challenge is that the WASH facilities in most of these schools are “ d y s f u n c t i o n a l , c h i l d -unfriendly and vandalized, and lack water and sanitation facilities.” A grim reality is that today 600 million people defecate in the open and six million children are out of school. About 1.4 million children die before they turn 5. These are the conse-quences of not having proper WASH facilities in schools.He said, “Not only do toilets have poor designs which are not child friendly, hardly Rs. 7,500-12,500 are allotted for operation and maintenance for a year, and that includes repair of the school building! How are you going to maintain water and sanitation facilities with this meagre amount? Our role is not just building, our role is also advocacy, reaching out to governments, policy makers and influencing them to ensure that we have proper sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools.” He further added that the critical goal is to create a sense of ownership in the community and the teachers. The three core elements of making this program sustainable and successful are engaging and empowering students, professional management of the facilities and monitoring

whether everything is functioning.Mr. Girish Hosur, Director, Ministry Human Resource Development, Government of India, in his address said that Swachh Bharat: Swachh Vidyalaya is the national campaign driving 'Clean India: Clean Schools'. A key feature of the campaign is to ensure that every school in India has a set of functioning and well maintained water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. Speaking about the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar, he said that following the launch of the initiative, the state, district and local governments as well as schools across the country have significantly improved sanitation facilities in schools. They are striving to improve access and have introduced child friendly designs, maintenance practices, effective monitoring using ICT tools, behavior change communication, new financing options and forging partnerships. These good practices need to be recognized and shared for accelerating and sustaining the achievements of the Swachh Vidyalaya initiative. He shared that his ministry has instituted this program to recognize, inspire and celebrate excellence in sanitation and hygiene practice in Schools. The explicit purpose of the awards is to honor schools that have undertaken significant steps towards fulfilling the mandate of the Swachh Vidyalaya Campaign. Rotary International Director Elect, Basker, who chaired the Technical Session assured that WinS is close to his heart and shall continue with the same momentum in coming years. He also suggested that the Districts should have a long term vision for this path breaking initiative that will go

a long way in contributing towards the nat ional mission of Swachh Bharat. Other speakers at the Workshop included Prof. Srinivas Chary Vedala, Dean, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad who addressed the gath-ering on the role of partnerships in achieving WinS goals & PDG Vinod Bansal, Technical Advisor, Rotary India WinS who


spoke on how to attract corporates to support WASH in Schools Target Challenge projects through CSR funding. PDG Sanjay Khemka & PDG I.S.A.K Nazar, Zonal WinS Coordinators from East and South Zones respectively proposed the Vote of Thanks during the Technical Sessions I & II. District WinS Coordinators/District Governors from the Rotary Districts 3011, 3012, 3211 & 3261 shared their District's achievements and experiences at the workshop.The key highlight of the event was the release of a “Compendium” by Union Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma, and other dignitaries which showcases some of the excellent work being done by Rotary Cubs, at their own cost, in WASH in Schools during the past year.

District 3170 WinS Seminar at JaysingpurRotary District 3170 under the leadership of DG Vinay Kumar Raikar organized a District Seminar on WASH in Schools on 16th October 2016 at Jaysingpur in Kolhapur District in Maharashtra. This seminar was organised by Rotary Club of Green City Jaysingpur. The event was attended by more than 200 delegates from across the district which included clubs presidents, secretaries, club WinS chairs and members and district WinS team. The keynote speaker was PDG Ramesh Aggarwal, Member Secretary of Rotary India WinS Committee. Also in attendance were PDG Dr. Jorson Fernandes, District WinS Coordinator, Kishor Lulla, District WinS Chair and UNICEF WASH Consultant, Mr. Sandip Tendolkar. The District Governor in his opening remarks thanked all the delegates for their presence and commitment for WASH in Schools program. He appealed to the clubs to undertake WinS as their focused program during this year. He said that the district has made a commitment to the Rotary India leadership to implement WinS in 400 schools across the district. He lauded the efforts of AG Milind Bhide and the members of

Rotary Club of Green City Jaysingpur in organizing the seminar and ensuring the presence of large number of Rotarians in the seminar. PDG Ramesh Aggarwal provided an overview of the WASH in Schools Target Challenge and deliberated in detail on the Three Star Approach of the Target Challenge. He appealed to the clubs to begin with an aim to achieve at least star one level and build on the achievements to achieve higher levels. He stressed on the need for the sustainability of WASH in Schools and said that sustainable WinS Program are build on three core elements: Engaging and empowering stakeholders & community, Professional management of software and hardware components and Continuous monitoring & evaluation of WASH facilities.Mr. Sandip Tendolkar spoke about the minimum essential package for WASH in Schools being implemented in schools in Maharashtra. He shared that the permanent behavioral change in children is the vital aspect of the program and therefore sensitizing children on health habits can only lead to the success of the program. He also shared that the biggest challenge in the sustainability is operation and the maintenance of the WASH infrastructure. So it important that we engage all the stakeholders to create ownership and build the capacity for the success of the program. PDG Dr. Jorson, highlighting data from the statistical data from UNO, said that 2 million tons of sewage and other effluents drain in world waters. Every year more

people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence including wars. Although 70% of the earth constitutes water only 0.07% is available as safe drinking water. From all these statistics what we understand is that there are 3 important parameters on which we must base our education vis a vis Hygiene, Sanitation and Water and they are Safe Environment - Safe Attitudes and Safe Behaviourial practices. He emphasized on Sanitation: Provision of services and facilities for safe disposal of human urine and faeces. Although the RTE does talk about it and so also provision of safe drinking water, he said whether the Govt. can provide or not or whether Institutions have made financial provisions or not that the Rotary Wheel of Humanity is set into motion in service to mankind to bring a positive change to give a better quality of life to the future budding citizens of India to make them Active , Responsible and Responsive.A manual titled 'Smart Manual For TEACH & WinS' published by T.B. Lulla Charitable Foundation was released during the seminar by the dignitaries. Awards were presented to six Rotary Clubs in the District for undertaking WASH in Schools projects during the period from 7th Aug. - 2nd Oct. 2016. PDG Ramesh Aggarwal also inaugurated a toilet

block alongwith DG Vinay P. Raikar at ASC College for girls at Ichalkaranji in the morning before the seminar under the Global Grant with Rotary Club of Kelowna, D 5060, Canada under the guidance of S.N. Agrawal.


The Rotary Foundation - WASH in Schools Committee Meeting at EvanstonThe WASH in Schools Committee of The Rotary Foundation met at Evanston, IL on 3rd October 2016. The meeting chaired by Trustee & Rotary WinS Global Chair Sushil Gupta, was attended by Past Trustee Antonio Hallage, PDG Carolyn Johnson, (USA) , PDG Ramesh Aggarwal (India), Rtn. Jane Otima (Kenya), and Past Trustee Thomas Thofinnson. The Advisors to the committee included Past RI Director Mark Maloney (USA), and Brooke Yamakoshi, UNICEF, USA. Also in attendance were the staff from TRF including Victor Barnes (Director of Programs & Grants), Erica Gwynn (Area of Focus Manager – Water & Sanitation), Mary Jo Jean-Francois (Area of Focus Manager – Basic Education & Literacy) and Isalia Ramirez (WASH in Schools Coordinator).Highlights of the meeting:u Mary Jo Jean-Francois provided an update on the resources available to Rotarians and

their production status. She apprised the committee that WinS one-page summary pamphlet and framework are now available in English and Spanish. There will also be a WinS guide and worksheet booklet as a companion to the guide and to be used in the field. Once resources are finalized and available, they will be shared with the WinS Committee, district leadership in the pilot countries and on Rotary.org webpage.

u Erica Gwynn gave an update on-going conversations about the Target Challenge engagement in D4250. She shared that D4250 had a late start in understanding the Target Challenge mainly due to a delay in producing materials in Spanish. D4250 would like the WinS Committee to consider an extension of the pilot since they feel unable to truly demonstrate their success, a request to later be discussed on the agenda. Water and Sanitation and the Basic Education and Literacy sectors rarely work in conjunction with each other in D4250. The trainings on the Target Challenge will have to ensure that both sectors are represented and understand how to work together. The recognition committee representing both sectors will be a first step in ensuring project activities are no longer isolated.

u Jane Otima presented on the work progress in Kenya. The Kenya recognition committee was set-up based on the eight regions of Kenya, one member from each region. The recognition committee's first task was to sensitize clubs in the Target Challenge. So far, the training has been provided to 35 clubs. She shared that Kenya's district (D9212) has taken up the Target Challenge as part of their three-year strategic plan. The district has decided to undertake a single large global grant project involving around 20 clubs.

u Ramesh Aggarwal made a presentation on the progress of the target challenge in India. He shared that the clubs & recognition committees in India receive support on regular basis from Rotary India WinS Committee through its website, newsletters, and workshops and seminars being organized in various districts. He stressed on the need for standardized templates for training on handwashing, O&M, hygiene, MHM, curriculum enhancement and monitoring and evaluation. He expressed a concern that the orientation of the recognition committee is a challenge considering the vastness of the country. He mentioned that Rotary India has set a goal of 14,283 schools for WinS during this Rotary year with reaching (minimum) Rotary One Star status.

u The committee raised a concern over maintaining the integrity of the program, and whether or not the districts will be able to effectively and credibility measure 1 Star eligibility for all schools keeping in mind the lofty goals set by the Districts in India. There will have to be periodic and random cadre and anecdotal reviews to ensure quality is being reached.

u Sushil Gupta apprised the committee about the Trustee decision to dissolve the strategic partnership with World Vision in India. He asked the committee to consider the Secretariat's competitive grant proposal that resembles the RI-USAID partnership. Erica Gwynn and Mary Jo Jean-Francois presented the Secretariat's competitive grant proposal for how to manage the WinS funds available for WASH in Schools projects in pilot countries.

u The committee after detailed deliberations decided that the competitive grant process shall be in two phases. The first phase will include a call for a concept proposal by January 2017, followed by an award of a small amount for the community assessment survey by March 2017. The second phase will be the submission of a detailed grant application for a larger grant by August 2017. WinS staff and WASRAG and Litrag will select approximately 20 concept proposals for the final review. The TRF WinS Committee will then select 10-12 semi-finalists to award the community needs assessment grant. From these semi-finalists, 5-6 finalists will be awarded the grant by October, 2017. The grants and reports shall be by November 15, 2019. The minimum amount to apply for shall be 100,000 USD total budget and a maximum of 500,000 USD to create model projects. The total cost of each grant project shall be between USD 1,00,000 and USD 5,00,000 and require an international partner with a combined funding of 15% of the total budget by the host & international partners. The grant projects shall require to achieve a minimum of Star 2 level. Cadre visit, interim- and post-site visits shall be required for all of the grants awarded in order to collect data for the evaluation of the pilot. The project budget shall also include 5% administrative cost.

u The committee also decided to recommend to the Trustees to extend the pilot for another two years (end date of 30 June, 2020) in order to accommodate the needs of the WinS competitive grant proposal.

u Tracy Baldwin, from the Marketing Communications Group, presented the communications plan to the committee.

Rotary India Partners with Clean Ganga Mission for WASH in SchoolsRotary India WASH in Schools Committee under the leadership of Rotary WinS

Global Chair & TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has entered into an understanding to implement WASH in Schools program in the government schools and communities located on the Ganga river basin in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Nadia District of West Bengal and other states where

Rotary has a strong presence. It has been decided that Rotary will also integrate the theme of Ganga Rejuvenation in its WASH in Schools program. Rotary, besides implementing WASH in Schools Target Challenge in the targeted schools will also create awareness about the objectives of National Mission for Clean Ganga thereby motivating the communities/stakeholders to engage in the efforts of Ganga rejuvenation that can lead to increased ownership and behavioural change resulting is reduced pollution in the river. The formal MOU in this regard will be signed by Rotary WinS Global Chair & TRF Trustee Sushil Gupta & Director General, NMCG, Mr. U.P. Singh in the august presence of Ms. Uma Bharti, Union Minister for Water & Sanitation, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in the third week of December, 2016 in New Delhi.

TRF Releases Guide to WASH in Schools Target Challenge The Rotary Foundation has developed a Guide to WASH in Schools Target Challenge. This guide is a basic resource to help Rotarians design, deliver, and evaluate their WASH in Schools programs. It includes tips, checklists, and step-by-step instructions for assessing a school, managing funds, building capacity, evaluating project success, and advocating for lasting change. The guide also contains a glossary, a list of resources, and recommended reading. In addition, the WASH in Schools Framework and other supplemental materials are available to help Rotarians design a successful project. The Guide can be downloaded from http://rotaryindiawashinschools.com/ by clicking on the link http://rotaryindiawashinschools.com/ResourcesDocuments or from the rotary.org by clicking on the link - wash_in_schools_guide_en.pdf . The guide is housed in the Target Challenge webpage https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/learning-reference/about-rotary/wash-schools-target-challenge

Rotary India WASH in Schools on FacebookRotary India WASH in Schools Committee has put in place a Facebook page “Rotary India WASH in Schools” which showcases the latest activities, programs & projects on WASH in Schools Target Challenge being undertaken by Rotary Clubs across India. Click on

the link to visit and like the page https://www.facebook.com/Rotary-India-Wash-In-Schools-271782119883791/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

District 3012

Rotary Club of Modinagar celebrated Global Handwashing Day on 17th October,

at Primary Pathshala, Yakutpur, Mavi,Modinagar.

District 3262

Rotary Club of Berhampur East organized aHandwashing Sensitizaton workshop

on 28th October at UP School Kuakhia Jajpur.

District 3020

Rotary Club of Challapalli installed Group Hand washing facilities at Zilla Parishad Government High

School, Srikakulam village, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

District 3202

Inauguration of Group Handwashing facilities atGovernment Boys High School, Payyanoor

on 2nd October byRI Director Elect. C. Basker

District 3212

Inauguration of Group Handwashing facilities installed by Rotary Club of Nagercoil

at Concordia School, Nagercoil on 28th Octoberby DG Dr. Vijaykumar

District 3090

Rotary Club of Bhiwani installed Group Handwashing Station on a Global Handwashing Day

- 15th October at Govt. Girls Sr. Secondary Schoolat Bhiwani.

District 3011

Rotary Club of New Delhi celebrated Global Handwashing Day at a Municipal Corporation of Delhi School and sensitised children about the

importance of handwashing with soap

District 3051

Rotary Club of Udaipur Panna & Geetanjali Medical College, Udaipur jointly celebrated a Global

Handwashing Day on 15th October atMahila Mandal School, Udaipur

District 3240

Rotary Club of Tinsukia, Organised a talk on health & hygiene with Handwashing demonstrations on

15th October, at 5No Guijan L. P. SchoolGuijan, Tinsukia.

DISTRICTS IN ACTION http://www.rotaryindiawashinschools.com

District 3190

Hygiene Awareness Program organized by Rotary Club of Bangalore West on 28th October at

Rajajinagar Parents Association School which was attended by over 350 students

District 3170

Inauguration of Toilet Block and Handwashing facilities under Global Grant at Laxmidevi Girls High School at Ichalkaranji by Rotary Club of Ichalkaranji

Textile City

District 3250

Rotary Club of Bihar Sharif installedGroup Handwashing facilities at a

Government School in Bihar Sharif,Bihar.

Edited and Published by the Editorial Team - PDG Ramesh Aggarwal, PP Daljit Bhatia & PP Namrata Suri, for and on behalf of the Rotary India WinS Committee . The matter to be published in the Newsletter should reach PDG Ramesh Aggarwal at [email protected] along with action photographs from the Rotary Districts in India, by 7th of every month. Editorial Team reserves the right to select, edit or omit any matter. | Designed & Printed at : NEERA PRINT-TECH, New Delhi-110 066, M: - 9899113474 | E: [email protected]

For private circulation onlyhttp://www.rotaryindiawashinschools.com

Behavior Change : A Key to Sustainability of WASH in SchoolsEffective behavior change is vital to the success and sustainability of all WASH interventions. Specific to the school setting, behavior change must include improvements in handwashing practices, better maintenance and use of toilet facilities and the use of safe drinking water, and improved menstrual hygiene amongst adolescent girls.

Behavior change is often reflected under the term 'hygiene promotion', and the focus of many hygiene promotion strategies is improving knowledge on issues related to sanitation and hygiene practices. The rapid educational and cognitive development of school-aged children can require multiple behavior change approaches within a single school. Also, the fact that children are an essential link between the school and home environments, presents unique opportunities for school-based behavior change programs. Children have the potential to bring health education messages and practices to the home environment, expanding the potential impact of school-based interventions to parents, communities and non-school going children. Another important factor is implementing hygiene education that promotes life skills.

Main Components of School-based Behavior Change:Changing hygiene behavior is not easy, and often, too much emphasis is given to promoting knowledge, without that knowledge being translated into appropriate skills and attitudes towards hygiene. Life skills-based hygiene education focuses on all three aspects: knowledge, skills and attitudes. Child to-child approaches are often a fundamental component of behavior change strategies in schools. Child-to-child strategies involves leveraging peer pressure and norms to encourage behavior change. Unlike the traditional behavior change approach that relied on providing knowledge and building information, life skills-based hygiene education helps children develop and practice proper hygiene. Life skills-based learning is accomplished through interactive sessions that promote sharing between students and encourage group behaviors. Daily supervised handwashing with soap

before midday meals session is a concrete example of a life skill based behavior change approach, where all students as a group wash their hands with soap at least once a day, before meals. This group activity in school is designed to reinforce the habit of good hygiene behavior, and uses the positive power of social norms and peer encouragement to strengthen healthy actions. Behavior change around toilet use is also centred on group activities on a daily basis, where the focus is on keeping existing toilets clean through a daily routine of maintenance. A curriculum for behavior change is also a considered option and has proven to be very useful. It is very vital that behavior change components of water, sanitation and hygiene, are integrated into school textbooks and as supplementary reading materials. These are to be regularly taught in schools as a part of the academic sessions, and during special classes of the week. In addition, one of the most effective channels of disseminating hygiene messages is during morning assembly. Prayer time is often used by schools to check cleanliness amongst students, spread the message of hygiene through songs and skits etc.

Children as Change Agents :Schools are an established entry point for learning. They present an opportunity to engage parents and community in general, either through knowledge dissemination via children or through direct engagement and demonstration at the school. Children are fast learners and adapt their behavior more easily than adults. Children are also effective role models. They may question existing practices in their households and choose to demonstrate good hygiene. What they learn at school is likely to be passed on to their peers and siblings, and to their own children if they become parents. Curricula also should not be limited to just formal course instruction. Student groups, such as Bal Sansands (Child Cabinets), are often in need of fun and exciting activities for spreading health and hygiene messages to other students and the broader community.

These are often established, where members play leadership roles in ensuring cleanliness and hygiene in schools. Assisted by the entire student body, the Bal Sansad generally takes on the responsibility to maintain the school facilities as well as track and sustain healthy behaviors and sanitation practices. This includes ensuring cleanliness of the school environment, checking on students' personal hygiene practices, following up on absentees, and supervising the lending of books and other materials from the school library that reinforce healthy behavior and habits. The Bal Sansad consists of several Ministers including Pradhan Mantri, Swasthya evam

Swatchhata Mantri, Jal evam Krishi Mantri, Pustakalay evam Vigyan Mantri, Sanskritik evam Krida Mantri, etc. As we implement WASH in Schools, we must know that schools are a natural learning environment, making school children potentially more receptive to behavior change and behavior change education. It is theorized that many personal hygiene practices are largely learned and acquired during childhood, suggesting that changes among schoolchildren can lead to a lifetime of improved practices.