Objective

1. To provide access to WASH facilities to the students of JAAGO Foundation schools and community members
2. To create awareness of WASH facilities and related issues through community mobilization

Project Summary

The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project aims to increase knowledge and awareness of JAAGO Foundation students, teachers, and community members about the importance of WASH facilities and promote access to them. It provides access to these facilities to JAAGO Foundation schools’ students and community members, while also creating awareness through community mobilization efforts. Through this project, JAAGO Foundation improves the health and well-being of individuals in the community by promoting good hygiene practices and access to clean water and sanitation facilities.

Training and capacity building, community sensitization, and WASH schemes are included in this project. The existing training module is updated and contextualized for different age groups and diverse sectors. The trained teachers then educate the students on the basic concepts, including the F-diagram, the 7 steps of hand washing, and water-borne diseases, among others. The caretaker, operation, and maintenance committee members, who are responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, receive training on WASH basics, maintenance, and monitoring systems. Parents and community members are educated about WASH issues and multiple community awareness programs are conducted. Volunteers visit high-density areas of different neighbourhoods, shops, markets, and fairs to communicate with community members and encourage them to adopt safe drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation practices.

By educating students and community members on the importance of WASH and how to maintain good hygiene, the project contributes to behaviour change and promotes the adoption of healthier practices in daily life. Furthermore, the infrastructure, such as safe water filtration systems, safe drinking water lines for communities, renovation of existing toilets and construction of new ones, and renovation of handwashing stations are established. Access to safe drinking water prevents waterborne diseases, which can be fatal, especially for children. Improved sanitation facilities will help reduce the spread of these diseases.

The impact of this project is significant as it increases awareness and access to WASH facilities which promotes good health and hygiene practices among the students and community members.