Children often have a strong influence on household hygiene and sanitation behavior. They can be ‘agents of change’ and increase the impact of WASH programs across the wider community.
Our approaches combine improved child-friendly water, sanitation and hygiene facilities with education methods that engage children as active participants.
WASH in schools provides safe water, clean toilets, and handwashing facilities in schools – creating healthy learning environments and teaching good habits for life.
Our programs integrate hygiene, sanitation and menstrual hygiene (or puberty) into school lessons and establish maintenance systems, often through parent or student clubs and working together with school management.
CHAST was first developed by Caritas Switzerland in Somaliland in 2002. It is inspired from the PHAST approach, and is based upon the premise that hygiene practices are largely acquired during childhood and therefore it is much easier to change children’s habits than those of adults. (Note: CHAST is copyrighted since 2014.)
CHAST is a step-by-step methodology that promotes good hygiene and sanitation practices in schools and at home by raising children’s awareness on transmission routes of waterborne and hygiene-related diseases and how to block them.
CHAST encourages ‘learning by doing’ and peer learning. It prompts the children to discuss among themselves, practice together and learn from each other, this way promoting a child-to-child approach. It is meant to be participative and fun.
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