1) Students at Jigme Losel Primary School in Bhutan were experiencing health issues like rashes and diarrhea. Handwashing practices and facilities were insufficient. 2) The school emphasized the importance of handwashing with soap through a UNICEF program. However, with only one tap for 850 students, handwashing during lunch breaks was challenging. 3) Students came up with the idea of "Tippy Taps," reusable handwashing stations made from recycled materials. These improved access to handwashing and health outcomes for students. The school has since promoted handwashing education and support for other schools.

1. 1
Jigme Losel Primary School
Thimphu Bhutan
DFC project
2013
Soap – A Critical Friend InHandwashing
Feel:
The use of Soap is a must while washing hands. In the beginning,the teachers observed many
students having rashes on faces or fingers. There were many pre-primary (class PP-I) students
suffering from diarrhoea and incidences of defecating in the classes. The performance and
attendance of the students were all time low. There was no improvement in the health of the
students even after taking preventive measures like insisting on drinking boiled water, clipping
nails on time, proper toilet habits etc.
The introduction of Water Sanitation and Hygiene programme (WASH) through the celebration
of Global Handwashing Day under UNICEF in 2008 was an eye opener for most of us. Since
then, the school emphasised on the importance of the use of soap in the handwashing process.

2. 2
The use of soap in handwashing however did not serve the purposes of increasing the academic
performance and the attendance of our children. The findings of our second observation was that
children complained of not having enough time to wash hands as instructed during the 40 mins
lunch break since there is only one tap for 850 students.
Imagine:
Lack of handwashing facilities remained still a challenge. Some students came up with ideas of
reusing materials in designing taps to reachout to all the students. Since the school was already in
the process of learning the 6Rs (reuse, refuse, replace, reduce, recycle and re-educating)through
Waste Management programme, the ideas of designing the taps visualized.

3. 3
Do:
The school took active part in promoting the WASH programme in the capital city through Street
Play, poster designing, and art work. Many students take part in Global Handwashing Day
celebration and have been winning the competitions so far. In doing so the students came up with
the idea of designing Tippy Taps reaching every single child of the school. The students drew
and painted their Tippy Taps with traditional Bhutanese art. The attractive art work on the Tippy
Taps strengthened the handwashingprogramme as a daily ritual and developed the sense of
ownership.

4. 4
Students take turns to bring soap and fill their Tippy Taps every morning. Now the Tippy Taps
are queued in front of their classes with enough soaps. Later to emphasize the right ways of
handwashing using soap, the class captains volunteered to keep a record on daily basis.
The students became the change agent in spreading the importance of handwashing with soap
even at home. The agent increased the donation of soaps from the parents and the community.
The health and hygiene of the students drastically improved and the school was selected as the
Focal School for Wash programme by the UNICEF at the City Level. Since then the students and
teachers have been actively involved in creating awareness.The WASH focal teacher was
selected to facilitate the programme to other districts schools. She also shared the good practices
of the school to other schools in the country.

5. 5
Share:
The students then came to know how some of the remote schools do not have enough soaps and
taps through the WASH focal teacher. In 2012, the students under the guidance of the focal
teacher formed a group to collect soaps for the sister schools.
Ourpartnership with Design for Change (DFC) gave us better ideas to reach out to the remote
schools. Now the DFC group is well ahead with the plan and is focused on the project. The group
has already sent two cartons of soaps each to two remote schools.
At the moment the group is working on sustainability of the project as the SOAP is a CRITICAL
FRIEND in HANDWASHING whether you are an adult, a kid or a teen.
By:
TashiPem
Coordinator
DFC