Hygiene Initiatives
Every year 2 million children die from PREVENTABLE diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia. Hand-washing with soap and water can prevent these illnesses and needless child deaths.
It is not enough to just give soap to children, they also need hygiene education.
H.E.A.L - Education and Hygiene Materials
Education and access to hygienic materials are vital to children's health in the slums. More specifically, educating the vulnerable children as to healthy/hygienic habits and access to hygienic materials like tooth brushes, tooth paste and soap create a culture of personal hygiene and healthy living. GPM volunteers create a project to bring soap, toothbrushes, basic hygiene and good habits to the children in the slums along with ongoing support with education and access to hygienic materials.
The H.E.A.L's Hygiene initiative was created and inspired by the 8th GPM's cohort of volunteers in March 2014. The volunteers conceived H.E.A.L after after seeing some children with rotting teeth and other physical ailments caused by lack of hygiene.
Hygiene Workshops in Collaboration with Sundara
Sundara, is working with GPM to run health and hygiene workshops for hundreds of children living in the slums of Mumbai. Sundara also runs workshops for the children's caretakers on safe hygiene in the kitchen and home. These programs include:
'Hygiene Stories' - Storytelling is a very effective way to instruct vulnerable children living in the slums and rural villages in important hygiene habits. With Sundara's support professional teachers deliver powerful hygiene messages through exciting and pertinent stories. The stories act as effective learning tools in understanding the importance of hygiene and healthy living.
Soap Making Workshops - Developed with Sundara, workshops are given to women and older children in the slums on how to make all natural, hypo-allergenic, bio-degradable soap for personal use and to sell in the slums, rural villages and urban cities. The workshops will stress the importance of personal hygiene and healthy living while adding an effective revenue stream for the vulnerable population of the slums.
