NEW DELHI: RB, under its flagship campaign, Dettol Banega Swasth India has launched the social return on investment (SROI) evaluation study report of its successful Dettol School Hygiene Education Programme at ISC-FICCI Indian Sanitation Conclave 2020. The virtual discussion focused on the need for an integrated approach to Wash in schools in the times of Covid-19.

The link between hygiene and public health has now been clearly established. Yet, proper hand-washing practices remain elusive in much of the country. Even before a meal, 69.9 per cent of rural India still washes their hands without soap. Another 15 per cent only wash their hands with water after defecation. The Dettol School Hygiene Programme was envisioned as a step towards improving poor sanitary practices in schools, homes, and communities, by promoting behavioral changes.

Reckitt Benckiser Health AMESA director external affairs and partnerships Ravi Bhatnagar said, “We at Dettol BSI believe in the idea of health and hygiene for all. Dettol School Curriculum in partnership with our development partners was introduced to drive behavior change among young children based on age-appropriate behavioral nudges. Our aim is to emphasize on the need to facilitate a sanitized environment and to create the importance of Wash in preventing the spread of infection amongst children.”

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He further added, “There is a tremendous amount of work done by corporates, NGOs and citizens to work with the government. However, to address the current situation we all must come together to fight this pandemic. A standalone intervention receives a lower social return on investment, however with an integration of interventions which is more nutrition-sensitive including water, right to nutrition, and diarrhoea management, social return on investment touches the ratio of 1:47. This creates a bigger impact on society. It's time we look at hygiene, sanitation and health together and not separately to tackle this pandemic.”

India Sanitation Coalition chair Naina Lal Kidwai said “In addition to the monetary investment, corporates like RB also bring their ability to successfully implement and their need to measure outcomes that we see in the SROI report of the Dettol School Hygiene Education Programme. The fact that we can measure every 1 rupee invested has delivered 33 rupees of social value is a huge multiplier when looking at actual impact on the ground.”

“Through the hygiene programs in school, we have seen role reversal of children & parents where children have taken up the role of teaching the right way to wash hands. They have become an agent of change in communities in spreading awareness about health & hygiene. We believe that the hygiene curriculum should be part of the daily school day. As we have seen through the pandemic, the only way to protect ourselves from diseases is by washing hands.” said Aga Khan Foundation CEO Tinni Sawhney.

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Key highlights from the report:

    For every ₹ 1 invested, the Dettol School Hygiene Education Programme delivers ₹ 33.05 of social value
    An initial investment of INR 15.9 crore has yielded worthy outcomes through innovations such as using creative platforms to reinforce key hygiene measures, structured hygiene sessions in schools, supporting trainings at multiple levels and more, we have brought about social value worth Rs 526 crore
    At a time when hand hygiene is of critical importance to prevent the spread of COVID-19, an increase of 86 per cent in the adoption of hygiene practices by students was witnessed  
    The program has reached 13 million children so far and counting across 8 states, 40 districts and 650,000 schools across India
    250+ Schools awarded by PM under Swachh Vidyalaya (Clean School) Awards
    Direct Impact on children:
        14.2 per cent reduction in diarrhoea among children
        17 per cent increase in school attendance
        89 per cent students follow all the necessary hygiene practices which have been taught in school
        92 per cent students share hygiene knowledge with parents and family members

The Dettol School Hygiene Education Programme seeks to drive behaviour change through a multifaceted approach, which targets schools and the community at large. The school programme has been designed in recognition of the fact that, by changing the mindset and behaviour of school students, they can become a catalyst for change in schools, homes and neighborhoods. By working with teachers and principals, the right knowledge can be passed on to build good habits in children and future generations.

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