August Update

Along with the many different subjects and topics that Opportunity Foundation teaches to the children, hygiene and health are considered to be one of very high importance. This education varies from the importance of exercise, rest, and a healthy diet to washing their hands and drinking clean water. Every little bit helps and the goal is to help them learn so that they will go home and share the same information with their families.

The emphasis on health and hygiene has greatly increased during the rainy season (June – September), because the incidence of cold and fever goes up dramatically. To help combat the illnesses that seem inevitable this time of year, a constant reminder goes out to all teachers, staff, and students about the importance of washing their hands several times throughout the day, covering their mouths with their elbow when they cough or sneeze, staying home when they are really sick so they do not spread their illness to others, among many other things. This will, hopefully, help to limit the number of people that get sick this rainy season.

Another aspect of hygiene that the organization is addressing is the correct usage of bathrooms. Where OFI is located in India, the children typically go along the roads or paths, as long as it is outside the home. With the recent large growth of the school, we did not have the capacity to provide adequate bathrooms for all of our younger children. To combat this issue, we recently added new bathrooms to our pre-primary school, to help teach the children the importance of using a designated area. The teachers have been wonderful at helping enforce the use of the new bathrooms and the children have learned very quickly how to use them and why it is important. The bathrooms are a great addition to OFI and are a starting point for improving sanitation and hygiene throughout the entire slum.