While interacting with various school authorities, teachers’ groups, municipal bodies and local level NGOs it was revealed that better water and sanitation facilities in many schools are dire necessities. With this background, CLPOA initiated Water & Sanitation project in schools with support from GOAL-India in 2005. The project included construction of hardware infrastructure, provision for treated drinking water, water testing, infrastructural facilities for adolescent girls, ensuring sustainability through user participation and awareness building measures through adoption of software techniques. 601 schools in 24 Parganas (South) & (North), Hooghly, Nadia, Howrah and Kolkata districts have been covered under the project till 2016–that is been monitored under the operation and maintenance programme.
Experience of WASH Project helped CLPOA to further extend in 13 high schools of Rajpur-Sonarpur and Baruipur Municipalities of South 24 Parganas with support from Water for People–India. Baseline survey in these schools to procure detail data on the existing situation was conducted. After preliminary interaction with students in these schools, problems faced by students, especially adolescent girls were revealed. Guardians were also involved and they assured contribution for maintenance of proposed infrastructure and facilities. The project is now self sustained with involvement of WASH Committee in schools with teachers, Management Committee Members, Guardians, students and non teaching staff as members – each group with roles & responsibilities of their own.
Leveraging its expertise in this field, CLPOA has been partnering CESC Limited in implementing its school water sanitation programme which is a component of its objective of developing child friendly environment in 29 Government Schools of Kolkata and Kamarhati, North 24 Parganas.
SPLASH and CLPOA initially started its partnership School WASH Programme in 2012 through installation of water purifiers in Government Schools of Kolkata in coordination with Sarva Shiksha Mission, Kolkata. The project activities are concentrated on provision of safe drinking water to students and also creating an enabling environment to ensure consistent hygiene practices among them in 143 schools in 42 Wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
CLPOA has been given the scope of work to implement ‘WinS Project’ with the financial support from Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Limited. 15 schools were provided with sanitation and hygiene related infrastructure.
The involvement of ONGC-CSR department added a new dimension last year. ONGC provided support for school sanitation & infrastructure development in 6 schools in Ashoknagar Block, North 24 Parganas.