Hygiene education materials to teach in schools

Q: I am working on water and sanitation projects in rural schools in Uganda. I am looking for information on hygiene education to teach in the schools. Do you have information packs to use as aides in teaching or can you advise me where I can get some?

(Sector professional, NGO, Australia)

Answer: The following materials will be useful for your situation:

Khamal, S.; Mendoza, R.; Phiri, C.; Rop, R.; Snel, M. and Sijbesma, C. (2005). The joy of learning : participatory lesson plans on hygiene, sanitation, water, health and the environment. Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.

The Joy of Learning guide is meant for teachers and others who want to design participatory learning activities on hygiene and sanitation. It is divided into two parts: theory and lesson plans. The lesson plans are organised into three sections: hygiene (including personal and food hygiene), sanitation and water. Each section contains a series of information sheets for planning, implementing and evaluating participatory learning activities on a specific subject. Examples include personal hygiene, the safe transport and handling of water, protecting local water sources, and locally prevailing disease transmission routes.

Postma, L.; Getkate, R. and Wijk-Sijbesma, C.A. van (2004). Life skills-based hygiene education : a guidance document on concepts, development and experiences with life skills-based hygiene education in school sanitation and hygiene education programmes. (Technical paper series / IRC; 42). Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.

The paper is divided into three sections: section 1 gives a general introduction to life skills-based hygiene education; section 2 gives a general overview of the content of life skills-based hygiene education; and section 3 provides a set of examples of lesson plans for life skills-bases hygiene education. Focus is on primary school children.

Mooijman, A. and Zomerplaag, J. (2004). Child-friendly hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools : indispensible to effective hygiene education. Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.

This document covers all the stages of a design project, from needs assessment to operation and maintenance. It stresses the importance of active involvement of children, teachers, parents and the community during all of these stages so that they themselves will be able to find solutions for their own problems and needs.

Shordt, K.; Snel, M. and Ganguly, S. (2002). School sanitation and hygiene education - India. Handbook for teachers. (Technical paper series / IRC; no. 39). Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.

The complete package consists of two manuals. The Resource Book and the Handbook are practical manuals meant for managers, trainers and teachers involved in SSHE programmes. The handbook is meant specifically for teachers working in pre-schol and primary school. It will help them in the classroom to teach children about hygiene and sanitation by using the child-to-child teaching approach.

The books were developed in the context of the School Water and Sanitation Towards Health and Hygiene (SWASTHH) programme in India. However, they provide many useful guidelines and activities that apply to similar programmes elsewhere.

Finally, many successful examples from programmes around the world could be downloaded in the resource section of the World Bank, WSP, UNICEF Toolkit on Hygiene, Sanitation and Water in Schools:

http://www.schoolsanitation.org/Resources/ReadingsSchoolHealth.html and http://www.schoolsanitation.org/Resources/ReadingsLifeSkills.html

I hope this will help you further.

If you have any additional questions or if the above does not provide the information you are looking for, let me know.