Plan India supported School WASH project is being implemented in three districts (Mayurbhanj, Gajapati and Uttarkashi) of two states (Odisha and Uttarakhand) in India since last one and half year. The project basically aims at promoting improved hygiene practices among school children (and their non-school attending peers) and realizing their rights to adequate school WASH infrastructure that is universally accessible and having dedicated facilities for girls. The project has already completed phase 1 of Its implementation on 31st July 2011 and the phase 2 is in implementation, which would continue till 31st July 2012. The project covers around 45000 children of 462 schools in three project districts. The project is implemented through its partner organization Sri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA), Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) and Society for the Welfare of Weaker Sections (SWWS).

Emphasis was more on creating enabling environment, sensitizing the duty bearers/ stakeholders on the importance of WASH, building capacity of students, teachers, duty bearers, community members and others on promotion of hygiene practices, construction of adequate WASH facilities in 75 schools, etc. in phase 1 of the project.

In phase 2 of the project, which has been started from 1st August 2011, duty bearers at district, block and school levels and the community members as well in three project locations are supported to prepare School WASH Action Plans, Block WASH Action Plans, mobilize existing government and community resources to improve WASH conditions. Leadership of the activity by these stakeholders is being facilitated to ensure responsiveness to the local context and to their needs. The key outcomes of the project are;

1. Block administrations and schools have a sound understanding of the extent and condition of school WASH facilities and are accessing increased funding to expand and maintain them.
2. Age-appropriate hygiene promotion is delivered effectively in target-area schools.
3. Sanitation and water infrastructure is expanded and better sustained in target-area schools.
4. Learning and Reflection – which includes capacity building of project team, facilitating internal evaluation to improve management of phase 2, documentation of best practices – unexpected outcomes, lessons learnt.