Global Handwashing Day celebrated by 150 municipal school students on 15 October

3.7 Million. That is a HUGE number indeed. 

No,it is not the bank balance of a millionaire OR the budget of a company or institute BUT is sadly the number of children aged from one month to 4 years who DIED globally in 2013, due to bad hygiene practices.

Students wash their hands with soap

 Imagine, millions of lives can have been saved by adopting small sanitation and cleanliness measures. In developing countries, child mortality rates related to respiratory and diarrheal diseases can be reduced by introducing simple behavioural changes. This simple and seemingly trivial action "HWWS- Hand washing with soap" can reduce the rate of mortality from these diseases by almost 50 per cent.

With the goal of spreading awareness about the importance of this low cost and easy intervention in mind, WHO (World Health Organisation) designated October 15th as the Global Hand Washing Day in 2008. For the last 9 years, different organisations worldwide have been celebrating it by planning unique programs. 

How did we at CACR celebrate? - View this 30-second video to get the gist

NGO Citizens Association for Child Rights(CACR), organised an activity based programme at Nityanand Municipal School, Andheri East , Mumbai.

Students participate in Q&A

I am very happy to share that more than 150 children participated very enthusiastically in The Global Hand Washing day celebrations and communicated their hand wash messages via painting bed sheets and singing the hand wash songs popularised by Sachin Tendulkar. 


There was a discussion followed by a Q and A session with UNICEF consultant Bharathy and Former Deputy Education officer Manasi Apte. Soaps and pamphlets with the correct hand washing steps and the importance of making washing of hands with soap a habit were provided to all the participating children. 

CACR has been implementing the hand wash behaviour change program in 11 MCGM schools with 683 students for the past 2 months. This project is a behavioural change program aimed at students from class 3 to 8.
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Students painting their handwash messages on a bedsheet

Bharathy Tahiliani, State consultant UNICEF India said "The 12-week programme, is implemented for the first time in Urban India. We are providing close guidance to CACR to put in place behaviour change activities so children can adopt appropriate hygiene and sanitation behaviour for a lifetime" 

CACR Founder Director Mr Nitin Wadhwani shared that "NGO CACR has initiated this important programme in 5 locations from Andheri to Bandra and it also comprises of a 3 Star Assessment of School Infrastructure on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene based on Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya (Clean India Mission) guidelines"

A Marathi newspaper Janashakti carried the details of the OCT 15 event as seen below 

Global Handwashing Day event published in a Marathi Daily

PPH website featured CACR

The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing, which is a coalition of international stakeholders who work explicitly to promote handwashing with soap and recognise hygiene as a pillar of international development and public health featured CACR on its website 

As Seen HERE on the RHS image 

I sincerely hope to keep the GHD momentum going by scaling up this project to more schools and new locations. But I need your good wishes and volunteers to make this happen. If this project interests you then volunteers with us  http://www.ngocacr.com/be-a-volunteer/ 

Hope you join us to make lives healthy. 

By +Richa Singh  loves to work in the public health space and  is the Projects Director with CACR, a section 8 nonprofit working in public schools in Mumbai from past 3 years.

Edited by +Vidya Vaidya , Artist & Director, CACR

"Its wonderful the way our volunteers take the work as their own"

This is the  third article in the Q  n A series with CACR core team members 

Q: How would you describe the last year 2014 for Ngo CACR?

A: CACR as a team may not have grown exponentially in numbers but has gained tremendously in confidence to face  hurdles and problems in the last year.  We have learnt to identify areas where we can make the most difference,and learnt to be  patience. As patience in large doses is imperative when one needs a behemoth like the MCGM (municipal/public)  school system to change for the better.
  

Getting the MCGM to finally agree to show their school children Children Film Society of India CFSI films through their virtual classroom system was a great reward.

But looking at the smiling faces of the school children in Nityanand  BMC school as they practiced their dance steps under the guidance of the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya (Nalanda Dance College)  teachers was looking at a miracle; their joy was a limitless. 

Children with Dance trainer from Nalanda Dance College who offer pro bono services to these school children

Everything changes so slowly in fact at times not at all! When you see  you have taken one step forward to ten behind it can be very disheartening, especially to the volunteers who are not yet completely committed. This lack of commitment is what hurts everyone else the most. 

I am fully aware that I am on the fringes of this cause, involved with only the administrative part, yet feel the pain of the volunteers who feel let down at crucial points, when commitments are not met. But we carry on with perseverance and hope.  

  

Q:  What challenges do you see ahead in 2015 for Team CACR and how do you plan to overcome these?

​A: As is apparent we need to build a much stronger structure and ​attract more like minded citizens to that the MCGM school system works. This will only come about through more interactive sessions with citizens groups, college students, and ALMs (Advance Locality Management)

Vidya Vaidya on the occasion of CACR anniversary function 

Q:  How would you describe the team and work culture at the organization?

​A: It is wonderful the way our volunteers take the work as their own, carry out their self appointed tasks to bring about a change in the dull and often lifeless MCGM school system. They donate their valuable time, time which most organizations have none of for the issues at hand concerning us. The work is truly voluntary, but with a lot of responsibility and commitment.

Q:  How has CACR helped change the lives of the school children and their families? 

​A: I believe that the knowledge that there is a group interested in them and cares that the system must work for their welfare has not only changed the outlook of the school children and their parents but has also changed​ outlook of the teaching and administrative staff. Slowly but surely the lethargy and disinterest that is gripping the MCGM School System is lifting.​

Q:  Any new projects that you plan to participate in 2015?
A: Improvement and real change in the Mid- Day Meal Scheme will be in the forefront during 2015, I think.  ​

Q: Any appeals would you like to make to the readers?

​A: "Care for the future of these children. Help us keep them out of the streets and educate them, bring out their true potential. Donate your time for this cause, if you can." Help ensure the MCGM School System works as it should. Remember that in the past, not too distant. It did work, many of our seniors have been products of this very system, and have risen high in their respective fields.

CACR directors during MUSTRun Marathon where 525 BMC school kids participated 

--Vidya Vaidya, founder director CACR, talks to Richa Singh.CACR is a start-up nonprofit working in areas  of education, child rights and health.Website- www.ngocacr.comFacebbook-https://www.facebook.com/CitizensAssociationForChildRightsTwiiter- @cacr6