How WASH helps children stay healthy and in school

For many children, staying in school is not just about access to education. It depends on whether they are healthy enough to attend regularly, focus, and keep up with learning. Safe water, clean surroundings, and basic hygiene play a direct role in this.

In this blog, let’s explore how WASH supports children’s health and helps them continue their education, and what CRY UK is doing to ensure more children have access to these basic needs.

Understanding WASH and how it shapes the course of childhood

WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. These everyday essentials support children’s health and reduce the risk of illness. Without basic WASH practices, children are more likely to fall sick with infections and water borne illnesses. This leads to missed school days and prolonged learning gaps, increasing the risk of dropping out over time.

Girls often face additional barriers. Limited access to safe sanitation and a lack of awareness around menstrual hygiene can lead to discomfort, stigma, and frequent absence from school. In many cases, this affects both confidence and continuity in education.

How CRY is strengthening WASH practices

WASH is closely linked to health and education. To ensure children stay healthy and continue their education, CRY works closely with children, families, and community authorities to build awareness, improve access, and support everyday hygiene practices. Here’s how:

• Creating spaces where children learn about WASH: CRY forms Children’s Collectives and Adolescent Collectives to help children understand hygiene practices in a simple and relatable way. Through these groups, children learn everyday habits such as washing hands before meals and after using the toilet, keeping their nails & surroundings clean, and using safe drinking water. Learning together also encourages them to practise these habits both at home and in school.
• Addressing menstrual hygiene with care and clarity: Sessions with adolescent girls create a safe space to talk openly about menstrual hygiene. They learn about using clean absorbents, safe disposal methods, and maintaining hygiene during their periods, helping them attend school without discomfort or hesitation.

• Improving access to reliable water sources: CRY works with local bodies, panchayats, and communities to revive traditional water sources such as wells, ponds, and check dams. This ensures that families have access to water for drinking, cooking, and maintaining hygiene throughout the year.
• Checking water quality and acting early: Regular water testing helps identify issues such as contamination from fluoride or bacteria. When concerns are found, timely action is taken with local authorities to ensure the water is safe for everyday use.
• Making safe water accessible at home: Access to piped water in homes reduces the need to travel long distances to collect water. This not only improves hygiene at home but also gives children, especially girls, more time to attend school and study.
• Encouraging simple solutions for water security: Rainwater harvesting is promoted as a practical way to store water during the rainy season. This helps communities manage water better and ensures availability even during drier periods.
• A shift begins with small conversations: In a remote village in North India, conversations around hygiene, especially among women, were often avoided. Many concerns stayed within the home, unspoken and unresolved, affecting the health of children and families. Without these conversations, simple practices like washing hands with soap or using safe drinking water were not always followed. Illness became common, and for children, this often meant missing school.

To change this, CRY began holding monthly sessions, bringing together 11 Children’s Collectives and community members. These spaces are now helping people speak openly, ask questions, and learn from each other in ways that feel comfortable and respectful.

At schools and CRY’s Child Activity Centres, children are beginning to take small but meaningful steps. They wash their hands before meals, keep themselves clean, and remind one another to follow these habits.

The efforts have led to 1,934 children and community members adopting healthy hygiene practices. Today, more children are washing their hands regularly, both at school and at home, influencing their families and helping build healthier communities.

Conclusion

WASH is not just about access, it is about consistency in everyday life. When a child does not have to worry about falling sick from unsafe water or poor hygiene, they gain something essential, the chance to show up, take part, and keep learning every day.

By working closely with children, families, and communities, CRY UK is helping build these everyday foundations. Support CRY UK to help children stay healthy, stay in school, and move towards a stronger future.