NCSTC Project Under ECO & Wash Futures Programme In Rural School Of Khed Taluka. : DST Sponsored : 2014


Ensuring proper sanitation in rural schools is still a challenging issue. Access to safe water and provision of proper sanitation in schools are as important to acquire a quality education as books and pencils. Moreover, schools are an excellent platform for hygiene education and the learning of overall proper hygiene practices, such as hand washing, drinking safe water, and using hygienic latrines. ECO-WASH Project promotes hygiene education in all the schools in the programme areas of Khed Taluka of Pune District. Additionally, the programme also aims to provide separate latrines for girls in secondary schools, since most girls reach their menstruating age during this time. For better management and maintenance of the facilities, school WASH committees and student brigades work in more than 20 secondary schools. Additionally, the schools were encouraged to create a fund to meet water and sanitation-related expenses by way of user charges to sustain this activity post project period.


Objectives of the project :

  1. To expand and scale up the WaSH programme in Schools, partnership-building and the adoption of team approaches from beginning of the program.
  2. Implementing WaSH in Schools in a comprehensive way and putting theory of WaSH into practice.
  3. To sensitize village community on WaSH and how Safe water leads to better health


IEC Development On Sanitation & Hygiene Education Workshop


IEC Development workshop was conducted with a purpose to develop training module and develop IEC to enable environment and increase awareness level on Water, Sanitation Health and Hygiene amongst young boys and girls, village community at large.
Development of Exhibition Posters onWater Sanitation and Hygiene,Display of Exhibition at Academic Institution & Exhibition and pamphlets.


Health Exhibition On School Sanitation & Hygiene Education


WaSH exhibition is used as an interactive platform at marketplace on extremely important issues of water, sanitation and health & hygiene. It was conducted in collaboration with IEC Bureau, PHC Kude & Dehane and Lokmanya Medical Research Centre. The collaboration gave the project greater impetus, mileage and impact. It was used as a platform to pool stakeholders.

Lokmanya invited all local Authorities, Panchanyat samiti, Self Help Group, School Authorities thereby enhancing public health and standards of living. School plays an important role in bringing about behavioral changes and promoting better health. An improved hygiene practice is essential if transmission routes of water- and sanitation-related diseases are to be cut. Diseases such as diarrhoea, parasitic worm infections, skin and eye diseases, need to be tackled by making improvements to water and sanitation facilities.


ECO-Wash Programme Participated Schools


DEHANE : Dehane is 50 Km from Khed block (Rajgurunagar) headquarter

  1. Shivaji Vidhyalay & Kanishth Mahavidhyalay, Dehene, Khed.
  2. Zillha Parishad Prathamik Shala, Nayfad, Khed.
  3. Zillha Parishad Prathamik Shala, Mandoshi, Khed.

  1. Zillha Parishad Prathamik Shala, Moroshi, Khed.
  2. Zillha Parishad Prathamik Shala, Kharoshi, Khed.
  3. Zillha Parishad Prathamik Shala, Avhat, Khed.
  4. Bhimashankar Madhyamik Vidhyalay, Avhat, Khed.
  5. Shri. Maludevi Madhyamik Vidhyalay, Valad, Khed.
  6. Zillha Parishad Prathmik Shala, Valad, Khed.
  7. Adivasi Ashram Shala, Tokawade, Khed.


KUDE : Kude is situated 45 km from Rajgurunagar block head quarter.


DEHANE : Dehane is 50 Km from Khed block (Rajgurunagar) headquarter

  1. Shingeshwar Vidhyalay , Kude (Budruk), Khed.
  2. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Kude (Budruk), Khed.
  3. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Kude (Khurd),
  4. Sarswati Vidhyalay, Audar, Khed.
  5. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Audar , Khed.
  6. Bhausaheb Raut Vidhyalay , Ghotawadi , Khed.
  7. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Kalmodi ,

  1. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Kendra Shala, Chikhalgaon , Khed.
  2. Shaskiy Ashram Shala , Chikhalgaon , Khed.
  3. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Ghotawadi , Khed.
  4. Zillha Parishd Prathamik Shala, Deoshi, Khed.


School Wash Committee


To ensure sustainability of the ECO- WaSH facilities in schools, school WaSH committees comprised of 10 members were formed in each school, with the headmaster as chairperson and a female teacher as member secretary.
In order to represent all stakeholders, members include teachers, parents, representatives from the school management committee, and the school cleaner. The committee meets on a monthly or a bimonthly basis to review activities, including latrine use and maintenance. The overall responsibility of the committee is managing, maintaining and mobilizing funds for the school’s sanitation.


Training On Potable Water, Health Hygiene Lessons For Village Health & Water Sanitation Committee Members. Teachers & Stakeholders


In order to sustain good hygiene practices, ECO - WaSH conducted training Session on Potable Water, Health & Hygiene for village Health & Sanitation Committee Members, School Teachers and project village stakeholders. Focus of the training programme was on potable water source: surrounding Area cleaning, proper storage of drinking water and hand wash, promoting use of latrine, Sanitation and Girls issue, Hygiene during Menstruation Cycle, behavioral changes and promoting better women health, Misconception and beliefs, Health & Hygiene: diarrhoea, parasitic worm infections, skin and eye diseases, need to be tackled by making improvements to water and sanitation facilities. Advocacy for project sustainability, implementation and development of Action Plan.

All the 35 participants actively participated in this training progamme and helped in developing village wise local area action plan for hygiene initiative. One male and one female teacher from each school are trained on WASH activities and teaching methodology. The teachers are provided with specially designed flip charts and posters in order to educate their students on health and hygiene issues. They develop an action plan for effective implementation of and follow-up on WASH activities, and are assisted by Lokmanya staff as and when required.


Innovative Wash Initiative


Separate Sanitation Facilities For Girls


The lack of separate latrines for girls and menstrual hygiene facilities in secondary schools were major factors in disproportionate rate of absence and dropout of adolescent girls. To address this issue, ECO-WaSH aims to convince the secondary school authorities to provide separate latrines that have adequate water and waste disposal facilities for girls. As a result, all the participating 20 secondary schools in the project area have constructed separate toilet facilities for girls. These schools have a toilets and washbasins which were installed through a cost-sharing basis of with the help of Lokmanya \ Gram Panchanyat and the School Authorities.

Teachers with the help of Lokmanya at these schools held monthly regular sessions on menstrual hygiene, which were initially conducted by the programme staff. Sanitary napkins are now kept in schools in case of emergencies and girls can use them whenever necessary. They can also purchase the sanitary napkins from their teachers, Village Health Nurse or Anganwadi Worker, at a nominal cost than the commercially branded products. Moreover, aside from the cost difference and easy availability, many girls found that it is more comfortable with buying napkins from the school teacher rather than at the market.


Boy's Latrines & Others New Initiative


During the implementation it was found that the School Boys were open defecating it was felt that identifying the need for boys’ latrines in schools as well, Eco-WaSH started advocating for separate latrines for boys along with pipe water systems in schools in rural areas. The programme has also started working in 7 co education schools to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene education for the poorest children in the tribal rural schools.

World Toilet day was celebrated on 19th Sunday of the November & Global hand WaSH day 15th Oct 2014. Awareness Rally on Water , Sanitation and Hygienewas taken from School to market place via community centre, temple & back approximately 10km. 180 students and teachers & ICDS members, PHC staff & LMRC staff.