The schools in Markamtola village in Rajnandgaon district of Cha ttisgarh have a unique feature. In addition to the attendance roster kept by the teachers, they maintain a sanitation register.
This ingenious book keeps track of the children’s personal hygiene habits, whether nails have been clipped, clothes are clean, hair is properly cut and combed, washing of hands after toilet use and before eating and — finally — toilet use itself.
As an integral part of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), being implemented under the auspices of the state ministry of rural development’s drinking water supply department, schools have been identified as the entry point for sanitation awareness.
Children are more open to new ideas and they carry home important messages on personal hygiene and cleanliness to their parents, observes B R Marai, headmaster of the primary school. “At the start of the school session in July 2006, we introduced latrine use among the children.”
As mid-day meals are provided free for primary level children, they were taught to wash their hands before and after eating. “Every Wednesday, their nails are inspected and clipped,” Marai adds. Kiran Kumari, 10 years, like her peers feared she would slip and fall into the latrine.
But with time and the patience displayed by her teachers, using the school toilet became a routine ritual. “I have been using the toilet regularly now for one and a half years,” she states proudly. Others like Kumlal Sahu, 12, of the middle school, were slower to start, especially as he did not have a latrine at home.
“I told my father repeatedly to get a latrine constructed outside our house, but it was only when Guruji intervened and spoke to my father than he agreed to have it installed, says the young boy.
In this sense, notes Baindas Sahu, headmaster of the middle school, children are positive agents of change as they can break down the mindsets of their parents.
At Pandadah, 48 km away from Rajnandgaon, a similar school-centred approach to the TSC can be seen. In Markamtola and Pandadah, both recipients of this year’s Nirmal Gram Puruskar, the role of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and the “Metanin” (female health worker) has been crucial for the success of the total sanitation objective.
“Tough” is a mild word to describe the hurdles faced by Rashida Khan, Metanin at Pandadah, in promoting indoor toilet use.
“Nobody was willing to listen, they grumbled that toilets within the vicinity of the home were the reasons for spread of diseases and not open air defecation, she recollects. “I, alongwith members of the SHG made countless door-to-door visits to sensitise the villagers.”
At one point, we even took to snatching th eir lotas (water pots) to force them to use their latrines, she adds humourously.
The women found an unlikely supporter in Kotwar (watchman) Baisakhulal. “People jeered at me wondering that I had nothing better to do than talk of such matters.
But prid e in my village made me ignore their taunts and keep after them till we could all proudly claim to become a Nirmal gram”.
Grassroots Features
