Hygiene Education

During the summer break, students are taught how to take care of their World Water Relief school filtration systems, which include the drinking and hand-washing stations. They engage in friendly competitions between school clubs that conclude with a field trip for the winning team. To make WASH education fun and valuable, WWR established 15-member water clubs at every school. Each summer, the World Water Relief hygiene coordinators in Haiti and the Dominican Republic meet with the clubs once per week to teach proper WASH practices and introduce new topics. Last summer the focus centered on Cholera, intestinal round worms and waterborne parasites. The club members also hold community Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) parades, visit the homes of their neighbors to distribute soap and teach the practices of WASH. During the school year, WWR hygiene coordinators visit each project school once per week. They spend about 1 hour in each school and circulate throughout 3- 4 classes. Often, 1 or 2 members of the water clubs accompany them for the school lessons. With their help, younger students are taught fundamental hygiene habits. The older grade levels receive the more in-depth lessons that WWR teaches to the water clubs during the summer. Ultimately, the goal is to create healthier and happier communities by permanently improving the sanitation and hygiene habits of the students and their families through the WWR WASH in Schools program. In 2014, they had 185 youth who actively enrolled in helping us teach their schools, families and communities the principals of WASH. This number will increase with each new project and school year of which there are 2 planned for 2015.