You Can Give Kids in India Clean Water

Watgunj GSFP School, nestled in the Steam Gali community, serves a student population of approximately 200. Since our intervention in 2019, we’ve witnessed the exceptional leadership of Mr. Javed Nehal and his dedicated youth leadership cabinet, who have consistently taken the initiative to enhance the well-being of their fellow students and the larger community.  

Under Mr. Nehal’s guidance, the youth leadership cabinet conducted regular meetings to address WASH issues, particularly focusing on the inadequate maintenance of shared community toilets used by many students and their families. A few of the great achievements made by this cabinet include: 

• Identified through a survey that 76% of the community residents depended on the shared bathroom facilities at the school. 

• Launched an awareness campaign, educating the community about the collective responsibility of keeping the facilities clean and operational.  
• Through discussions led by the students and their teachers, they emphasized the health implications of unsanitary toilets and the significance of good hygiene practices, leading to a noticeable improvement in the cleanliness of the shared toilets.  

In 2022, Splash provided refresher training to the youth leadership cabinet members, offering them a new digital curriculum to bolster their efforts. Mr. Nehal has remained a steadfast advocate for the cabinet's mission and has successfully recruited additional teachers to join their cause. Every year, the students conduct fresh surveys and maintain their awareness program, persistently advocating for the construction of new toilets for the community. The most recent survey this year indicated that some families had constructed toilets in their homes, and the community toilet blocks have continued to be well-maintained. In fact, the community has even appointed a cleaner to attend to these facilities once a week! 

The youth leadership program remains proactive and unwavering in its commitment to fostering positive change. We are immensely pleased to present a vivid example of Splash's impact extending to the broader community. The relentless dedication of these children and their teachers is truly commendable. 

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At Kendua Mahendra Nath Girls High School in Kolkata, the importance of sustainable WASH infrastructure became evident during an election in 2021. The headmistress, Mrs. Karmakar, noticed that the school’s drinking stations were being misused and damaged by workers at the event. Keeping in mind the school serves a population of 400 female students and is determined to maintain cleanliness and functionality in her school’s WASH facilities, in which she held much pride, Mrs. Karmakar took action. 

The headmistress took on the responsibility of repairing and cleaning the toilets, drinking water, and handwashing stations, as well as securing the drinking stations with locked gates for future public events. Unfortunately, the school could not cover all of the repairs due to financial constraints. Mrs. Karmakar and her fellow teachers decided to approach the Samagra Siksha Mission for assistance. Recognizing the significance of sustainable WASH solutions, the Chairman of Samagra Siksha Mission granted the school a generous grant to complete all repairs. 

Mrs. Karmakar’s proactive approach and dedication to her school’s cleanliness serve as an inspiration to other school leaders. Through the collaboration with Splash, the school has showcased the effectiveness of the Splash model in achieving sustainable WASH infrastructure and behavior change beyond direct intervention. At Splash, we are thrilled to have worked with Mrs. Karmakar and Kendua Mahendra Nath Girls School. This success story highlights the importance of school administrators in maintaining WASH solutions and demonstrates the transformative impact that can be achieved when empowered.  

 To date, Splash has: 

• Served 136,000 kids in Kolkata, India 
• Reached over 1 million kids around the world with WASH 

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