Together we can!

Sept. 6, 2016

By 2015 Fellow Rupsha Nakarmi

 

July 12, 2016

I didn’t know it first but one of the teachers of our school, who lives with us, shared that the students’ toilets of our school were very dirty. He said that he was trying to make sure they remain clean and talked about this with our Head Sir too. But Head Sir was also not being able to do anything since there is scarcity of water, not only in our school but in the entire village.

I was happy because the teacher was trying to initiate something good. I also regretted since I hadn’t been mindful about the condition. So to make sure this problem was addressed, I brought it up in a staff meeting. We formed a cleanliness committee and I took the responsibility to lead it. Since the cleaning had to be done immediately, we decided that students of grade nine and ten would clean up the toilets and students of grade eight and below would clear out the trash from the ground.

My co-fellow, the existing teacher and I made plans about how it could be done in a systematic way where everyone would be participating. I and my co-fellow had our classes at 9:00 a.m. with grade nine and ten. We used that period discussing with our students about how the condition of toilets were, how we could clean it, how we could maintain the spotlessness and the list of the needed sanitary items. Students participated actively. It was time to choose the leaders. I had the names of two girls and two boys who would be taking the responsibility to clean the toilets with the help of their friends on that day and the upcoming days. My co-fellow did the same with grade ten.

 

We had a team, we listed out the sanitary materials to make our restrooms spotless but we didn't have water. So I asked the students what we could do about this problem. I could see many hands raised up to suggest ideas. They suggested that they would carry the water from pipeline located downhill. I asked the leaders to make two groups, one group would clean toilets and the other would be carrying water. The leaders asked their friends to raise their hands if they were willing to carry water and the rest would clean the toilets. This way the problem was solved. For backup, I asked our peon dai to manage water by borrowing it from nearby water pipeline, which he did.

I then went to grade eight and called out four names, two boys and two girls. I gave them the responsibility to lead their friends and junior students in cleaning the ground. We are fortunate to have a really huge ground. I asked the leaders to choose a part of the ground they would each be monitoring. They chose and promised to pick trash from the ground and make it spotless. Later, they even swept the whole volleyball ground (I just love my kids' commitment to excellence).

Regarding work division for the teachers, I had three male teachers including my co-fellow to help students in cleaning the boys' toilet and two female teachers including me in cleaning the girls' toilet. I requested other teachers to participate and monitor the students who were picking the plastics and trash thrown irresponsibly on the garden.

 

 

We started at 12 p.m. and it ended at 2 p.m. Everything went perfectly. I had all the sanitation materials ready to be used, from gloves to buckets to soaps and water. We even planted flowers around the toilets, graveled the pathways and burned the used sanitary napkins thrown in toilet.

Beside the cleaning, we did few more things to make our school germs-free. In front of the main building, there was a small self-formed pond that was home to frogs and their eggs. All of us got together and filled it with soil and stones.

 

I congratulated the leaders for managing the work efficiently and making things happen, the other students who actively participated and of course the teachers who supported the work.

Now we have clean and healthy toilets. I have promised my students that I will provide everything that is needed to maintain the cleanliness of the toilets. I have ordered jugs and dokos for sanitation purposes.

I feel happy that there have been many such little improvements in our school. Lately, we- the Fellows, students, teachers and the Head Sir- have started collaborating a lot to solve numerous little problems. And I’m hopeful that the bond will be stronger in the upcoming days, too.

2015 Fellow Rupsha Nakarmi teaches in Bagbhairab Higher Secondary School in Lalitpur.

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