Promoting hand-washing through murals

One of the first things that student-led WASH Clubs chose to address through advocacy is improved school toilets. Most schools in Papua New Guinea have inadequate number of toilets for students, with a student to toilet ratio around 1 toilet to every 100 students.  Live & Learn has worked with school administration in Papua New Guinea to construct additional toilets with hand-washing facilities for girls and boys. The students are proud of their new toilets, and the student WASH Clubs use their Arts for Advocacy skills to design and paint messages on the toilet buildings to promote washing hands with soap.

Many schools have had rules on frequency of hand-washing but have been unable to put these guidelines into practice. With the newly established hand-washing facilities and the new toilets the student-led WASH Clubs are taking the opportunity to refine the guidelines that will encourage students to wash their hands with soap at critical times (after going to the toilet, before eating food, etc).Pictured are students from a partner school in Papua New Guinea preparing their hygiene messages, and then joining with school administration and Live & Learn to celebrate the opening of new toilets.