School water and sanitation towards health and hygiene in lndia

摘要

School sanitationad Hygiene Education (SSHE), is globally recognized as a key intervention to promote children's right to health and clean environment and to influence a generational change in health promotion behavior and attitudes. It is now known that not only the quality of teaching but also the environment, especially the availability of safe drinking water and sanitation together with good hygiene practices are key factors which influence learning. Since the beginning of 2000, UNICEF, together with the Internationa! Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) is involved in a SSHE project in various states around India. The overall objective of the School Sanitation and Hygiene Education programme in India, also known as the SWASTHH programme (meaning School Water and Sanitation towards Health and Hygiene) is to develop, test and successfully demonstrate replicable models for hygiene education, water supply and environmental sanitation in rural primary schools and pre-schools. The SWASTHH programme aims to make & visible impact on the health and hygiene of children through improvement in health and hygiene practices of children, their families and the communities. It also aims to improve the curriculum and teaching while promoting hygiene practices and community ownership of water and sanitation facilities within schools. The aim of this article is to focus on some of the basic lessons learnt so far in SSHE. Many of these lessons are currently being compiled into a resource book on School Water and Sanitation towards Health and Hygiene specifically developed by IRC and UNICEF, India. This article will specifically examine some of the cited lessons from research, evaluations and programme experience that can be helpful in structuring school programmes for water, sanitation and hygiene education.