Governor P. Sathasivam on Friday inaugurated WinS (WASH in Schools), a project of the Rotary District 3211, in 1,001 schools in five southern districts of the State, at Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill. A toilet block with 13 units, including one for the physically challenged, will be set up at a cost of Rs.8 lakh at the school under the project. In his inaugural speech, Mr. Sathasivam urged Rotary to expand WinS to all schools in the State.
Mr. Sathasivam said the project focussed on a sensitive and significant issue in schools. With its stress on sanitation and hygiene practices, WinS was an investment in the health and well-being of future generations. It would enable children from all sections of society to develop good hygiene habits, he said.
Creating of awareness of sanitation and hygiene was a difficult task that would have a lasting effect on future generations, the Governor said. Mr. Sathasivam, a former Rotarian, praised the organisation for undertaking “a noble project.”
Rotary District Governor C. Luke said the project would be a beacon of hope. There was disinterest in and lack of awareness of hygiene and sanitation in the country. Schools in the State trailed those even in water-deficient Tamil Nadu when it came to provision of running water. Construction of toilets and awareness of better sanitation practices were necessary for progress, he said.
WinS is a national project being taken up by Rotary to support the Union government’s Swacch Bharat Swacch Vidyalaya campaign. It is being implemented in 10,000 government schools nationwide. Unicef is providing technical aid for the programme. Construction of new toilets, provision of safe drinking water and sanitation materials, and maintenance of existing toilets will be taken up under the project.
Mr. Sathasivam’s wife Saraswathi Sathasivam, Rotarians, school authorities, students, and the school PTA president were present on the occasion.
