Clean Water for Over 300 Kids in Kolkata, India

Thanks to Omstars, MiiR, and the 8,823 compassionate yogis who participated in the July 2018 #HandstandMechanicsChallenge, Splash will ensure clean water, hands and toilets for over 300 kids at two schools in Kolkata, India.

It was during a trip to Seattle, Washington, that Kino first came across the flagship location of MiiR, a registered B-corporation that gives a portion of all sales to organizations with sustainable methods of empowerment, like Splash! Thus, the 3-way partnership between Omstars, MiiR and Splash was born!

The two schools, Bastuhara Vidyapith Primary School and Jnanendu Siksha Niketan High School share a campus in Kolkata’s Tangra neighborhood, which is being rapidly transformed by population growth and construction. As a result, the property prices in this area are quite high, resulting in pockets of slums in between high-rise towers where many of the students live.

The schools are not only situated close to the Dhapa landfill – the biggest dump in the city, which operates at unsustainable rates today – they also lack adequate infrastructure to provide their students with clean water. While water is widely available at school, it is typically contaminated with E. Coli and other water-borne illnesses. With 94% of schools in Kolkata lacking soap for handwashing and over 30% of toilets with no water for flushing or doors or locks for privacy it can be difficult for kids to stay healthy.

This is where Splash comes in with its innovative WASH-in-Schools model that includes:

  1. Installing the enabling infrastructure, including water filtration systems, water storage to ensure access, handwashing and drinking water stations, and child-friendly sanitation facilities.
  2. Delivering behaviour change programs for children and adults. This includes training focal teachers through an engaging, activity-based curriculum and supporting them to instruct student hygiene clubs on how to engage their peers in positive behaviours, such as handwashing.
  3. Creating a WASH ecosystem to ensure programme sustainability. This includes co-investment from schools and government, operations and maintenance training for school janitorial staff, school incentives through recognition programs, engaging parents through soap drives, and building local supply chains to ensure availability of spare parts and repair services.
  4. Conducting routine monitoring and evaluationof project sites. To ensure continuous learning and program improvement, Splash conducts pre and post-intervention assessments at each school, followed by five years of routine monitoring, twice per year.

Because of companies like MiiR and all of you caring, kind, and motivated yogis out there, together, we will be able to help hundreds of more kids stay healthy, excel in school, and unlock their full potential. With your support, kids at schools like Bastuhara Vidyapith and Jnanendu Siksha Niketan can thrive!

Who is Splash?

Splash believes that every child deserves to have clean water, clean hands, and clean toilets. Our goal is to improve the health and development of children living in urban poverty by implementing integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in high-density, child-serving institutions, like schools and orphanages. This work supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and to reduce WASH inequalities between and within countries. 

We target 100% of a child population—every orphanage in China and every public school in major cities like Kolkata, Addis Ababa, and Kathmandu—to demonstrate our WASH programs are adaptable, scalable, and sustainable. We work closely with local communities, encouraging governments and NGOs to replicate our model.  Splash turns philanthropy into a catalyst for long-term systemic change. The impact has been significant. Founded in 2007, Splash has already completed over 1,730 projects serving more than 428,000 kids in eight countries: China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. We are on track to help one million kids have clean water, hands, and toilets by 2023. Follow Splash at: FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM You Tube

Who is MiiR?

MiiR is a drinkware company that designs modest products built on function and simplicity for daily use.  Every product is paired with a trackable give code that gives back 3% of revenue to clean water and health projects. MiiR exists to empower people with access to a better future

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