Role of Children in Spreading Water and Sanitation Awareness - Experiences

From Gyanendra Mishra, UDAAN, Aligarh
Posted 19 April 2007

Dear Sir/Madam,

I work for an NGO called UDAAN in Aligarh and neighbouring districts. We provide training to Gram Pradhans, motivators, village functionaries and other stakeholders on water and sanitation issues. We also support the Government in the Total Sanitation Campaign in mobilising the community for construction of low cost leach pit toilets at village level. Additionally, we implement force lift handpumps in schools to lift and store water without motor and electricity. This has made many school toilets usable, which had become defunct due to non-availability of water.

During the course of our work, we found that children are harbingers of technology promotion. If we are able to teach children about water and sanitation, the message can be disseminated very effectively to the whole community.

In this context, we request community members to share their views on the following:

• Experiences and tools used for sensitising children in appropriate sanitation behaviour such as handwashing, use of toilets, safe disposal of waste, etc.
• Problems faced and innovative methods used by members for spreading awareness about safe drinking water and sanitation through students and children to larger communities.
• Things to keep in mind while designing a children/ student based IEC programme on safe drinking water and sanitation.

Please see attachment below for the responses.