Chandrima

Barisha Vivekananda High School is located in the southern part of Kolkata and is an all girl’s institution. Prior to school closure due to COVID-19, Splash was able to conduct behaviour change activities at the school, which serves more than 450 kids, including Chandrima.

Chandrima M. is a 13-year-old seventh grader who was an active child cabinet member at her school prior to the citywide shutdown. As a result of her efforts, the school replaced all single-use plastics with durable alternatives; children switched to high-quality, reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles, and the students continue to pursue alternative, more sustainable products rather than the disposable commodities that were previously ubiquitous. These efforts significantly reduced the garbage that, prior to Splash’s intervention, frequently littered the school grounds.

Chandrima and the other child cabinet members made a number of other noteworthy improvements at their school, resulting in everything from cleaner toilets and improved sanitation practices to reduced water wastage in the school. Chandrima and her peers have not stopped there. They also approached the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to request that the outside of their school be cleaned. Additionally, they raised funds to buy plants and pots for the beautification of the premises.

Splash installed a water filtration system to ensure safe water, along with four drinking stations and six handwashing stations. They also refurbished toilets and urinals at the school. Behavior change work included a teacher orientation, meetings with the school management and parent teacher associations, and training of two focal teachers on our hygiene education curriculum so they can confidently instruct the child cabinet. This work will benefit Chandrima and her peers for years to come.