Five govt schools in Hyderabad get WASH

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India Foundation launches its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project; 2,000 students and teachers to get clean water

​Hyderabad: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India Foundation on Friday launched its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project at five government schools in Hyderabad. The project will give 2,000 students and teachers access to clean water for drinking and sanitation facilities.

PwC India Foundation vice chairman Jaivir Singh said, “Hyderabad is our third WASH intervention and for me, personally, a humbling moment as the number of students who have been positively impacted has crossed over 11, 000 across three States that includes co-ed, all girls and schools for visually impaired students.”

We will continue our WASH related interventions and our employees will remain engaged with the schools and institutions we work with by conducting workshops around sanitation and healthy hygiene practices, he added.

The PwC in collaboration with FINISH society, an NGO,and the support of the District Education Department of Rajasthan conducted needs assessment in the region to understand current challenges of schools with high needs.

Addressing the gathering of students, Saurabh Agnihotri, representative from FINISH society, said, “We believe universal education is incomplete without universal sanitation.

Institutional ownership, planning and low cost solutions are key outcomes that will benefit children, especially our girls in realising that their right to an education comes hand in hand with hygiene and dignity.”

Unavailability of water is a critical reason for toilets not being used in government schools which ultimately leads to higher dropout rates, especially for girls. To have an enabling environment, 28 toilets have been refurbished 15 for girls and 13 for boys.

Hand washing stations have been set up and incinerators to dispose sanitary wastes have been added as well, member said. PwC employees from the Hyderabad office will also be engaged in running awareness campaigns for children, adolescent girls, teachers and parents.

These behavioural change campaigns will focus on the importance of drinking clean and safe water and addressing personal hygiene and cleanliness queries of students.