On the Ground

Need for handwashing facilities in the school and children’s home. Discrimination against menstruating girls.

Ranipet’s public secondary school has struggled to provide adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for children, increasing their vulnerability to illnesses, impacting educational performance. The school currently has only four urinals and three latrines for boys, accounting for 90% of the school’s facilities, making them insufficient and unhygienic. These facilities are also in poor condition and require renovation.  

The lack of adequate sinks and running taps leads to discomfort, and children do not follow correct hygiene methods for this basic practice.  

Menstruation remains a widespread stigma among girls, significantly affecting their attendance and participation in school activities. The lack of adequate knowledge and understanding about menstruation and related practices often leads to absenteeism among girls and adolescents. This absence not only impacts academic progress but also perpetuates the cycle of stigma and discrimination around menstruation.  

There is a lack of facilities for the proper disposal of sanitary waste (pads), and it is essential to encourage open discussions, creating an inclusive environment where girls feel empowered and supported during menstruation.

Located in the heart of Ranipet, the Government Children’s Home, overseen by the State Child Welfare Committee, serves as a sanctuary for young lives. With a capacity to house up to 70 children, it currently houses only 30. Within its premises, a school operates to educate its young residents. The school faces a critical deficiency: it lacks a single sanitation facility; children, teachers, and staff must return home to meet physiological needs, exposing them to hazards and endangering their health. Furthermore, essential services, such as sinks and waste disposal systems, are lacking in their homes.  

It is essential to address access barriers to water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly through facility improvements, education, and awareness on personal hygiene and menstrual health.

In Detail

The project includes the following interventions: 

• Construction of sanitation facilities adapted to gender and disability needs. Separate girls’ bathrooms with incinerators (devices for the safe, eco-friendly disposal of menstrual products like sanitary pads).
• Renovation of old facilities.
• Construction and renovation of new sinks to promote behaviour change through proper practices.
• Establishment of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) labs in schools.
• Training and strengthening the School Management Committee (SMC) and the Child Cabinet to maintain facilities and foster sustainable behaviour change.
• Create an IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) mural with key messages on hygiene, health, and sanitation and awareness talks for students.
• Observance of important days: World Toilet Day, World Handwashing Day.

Explanation of Interventions:

• Formation of the Children’s Cabinet: 
  Empowering students to actively participate in water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. The goal is to ensure a student-centred approach, encouraging their sense of responsibility, leadership roles, and sustained facility maintenance.

• Collaboration with Local Communities: 
  Involving local communities in the projects ensures a holistic approach. Communities become stakeholders, contributing to the sustainability of initiatives. This collaboration fosters a sense of collective responsibility for hygiene practices.
  
• Awareness Campaigns:
  Creative and targeted awareness campaigns increase hygiene and sanitation awareness among students and staff. This approach positively influences behavior and encourages the adoption of good hygiene practices on a broader scale.
• Regular Monitoring and Evaluation:
  Implementing a continuous monitoring and evaluation system ensures that facilities remain functional and meet the school community’s needs. It allows for timely adjustments and improvements, optimizing the initiatives’ impact.
• Curriculum Integration: 
  Water, sanitation, hygiene education, and IEC are integrated into the school curriculum, ensuring continuous learning about hygiene practices. This integration helps embed good habits into students’ daily lives, contributing to long-term behavioural impact.
• Teacher Training Programs: 
  Training teachers in water, sanitation, and hygiene education enables them to effectively convey hygiene messages. Teachers become advocates for good hygiene practices, reinforcing their importance inside and outside the classroom.
• Community Collaboration
  Involving local community members creates shared responsibility, promoting cultural relevance and sustainability beyond the school setting.

Curriculum Integration:
Incorporating water, sanitation, and hygiene education into the school’s curriculum ensures hygiene practices become integral to students’ daily routines, contributing to long-term behavioural change.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monthly and final project reports are generated to assess program quality and effectiveness. Project staff track indicators at the outcome and objective levels and submit reports for proper evaluation. Measurements are completed and recorded in the first three months, and specific end-of-project targets for each indicator are set.

Project staff, national-level technical staff, and other stakeholders review project progress after compiling relevant indicators every three months.

Indicator tracking enables re-evaluation of the relevance and likelihood of achieving the indicator and allows for possible adjustments to activities and project direction.

Prospects for sustainability

Strengthening School Management Committees (SMC) is crucial in maintaining school facilities. SMCs actively participate in decision-making processes related to maintaining and improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure. They oversee the proper use of resources to build and maintain handwashing stations, toilets, and Menstrual Health Management (MHM) labs.  

SMCs also engage with the school community to raise awareness about preserving these facilities, ensuring a sense of ownership and responsibility.  

By involving SMCs in the planning, monitoring, and maintenance of WASH facilities, schools can establish sustainable practices and foster a clean and healthy environment for students.  

The formation of a Children’s Cabinet significantly supports the maintenance of WASH facilities in schools. This cabinet, comprising student representatives, acts as an advocate and leader in promoting hygiene practices within the school community. They actively participate in decision-making processes related to the use and maintenance of facilities, providing valuable insights from students’ perspectives.  

The Children’s Cabinet can organize awareness campaigns, encouraging peers to adopt responsible hygiene behaviours. Additionally, they collaborate with teachers and staff to ensure facilities are regularly checked, cleaned and well-maintained.