The Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools

Overview: Goals
improve the effectiveness of hygiene behaviour change programmes for children while ensuring that schools meet essential criteria for ensuring a healthy environment the approach can be sustainably expanded countrywide at low cost

Overview: Principals
the approach ensures that healthy habits are taught, practised and integrated into daily school routines a fundamental principle behind the approach is that expensive WASH infrastructure in schools is not necessary to meet health goals keep it simple, scalable and sustainable

Why a new approach?

The evidence on the importance of WinS is increasingly strong WinS expansion is slow: especially in poor countries Bottleneck analyses show that many current WinS programmes are not effective

Bottleneck Analysis (synthesized)

hygiene education is not consistently provided in most schools, and when programmes do exist, they are often of limited effectiveness

Approach Development
Based on:
The successful Fit for School Programs (implemented by GIZ) in the Philippines and South East Asia (especially for group handwashing) UNICEF experiences with group handwashing for GHD (and with WinS in general) Lessons from CATS and social norms theory

Developed in consultation with UNICEF and GIZ WinS professionals and peer reviewers

Overview: The Stars

Daily group handwashing, daily group toilet cleaning, drinking water bottle use One star + HWWS after toilet use, improved toilets, MHM, HWT Two star + school facilities and systems upgraded to meet national standards

Overview: Steps
1. Committing to the concept and moving from a no star school to a One Star school
Step One is the most important step
Limited or no hygiene promotion May or may not have WASH infrastructure

2. Progressing from one to two to three stars

Monitoring and Certification

A certification scheme recognizes and rewards schools and communities (CATS model) Options/components:
Carried out by school inspectors/third parties Participatory component school staff, community, pupils Incorporate sustainability (e.g. time-limited certificates) Certification ceremonies (e.g. on GHD)

Flexibility and variations

Most aspects of the approach are flexible; most countries will want to modify the approach Examples include: different name; fewer steps; more steps; including deworming or oral hygiene However, all countries must include group handwashing and the other two One Star components and The principle simple, scalable and sustainable must be maintained