Afghan Children WASH UP! With Sesame Street
Smiling faces line a mud-walled room, brightened further by light streaming through the windows. Boys and girls between the ages of 6-10 attend a WASH UP session in the village of Qebchaq, Badghis, to learn about hygiene and sanitation and have a little fun as well. WASH facilitators from World Vision Afghanistan (WVA) start class with a clip of Sesame Street characters Elmo and Raya explaining hygiene and sanitation practices, which has the children rapt. Other activities include a story mat session with role playing and finally a hygiene-themed version of chutes-and-ladders where the kids compete to be health superstars.
Zeba, 9, and her three siblings all attended the Sesame Street WASH UP event. She reports that today’s lesson taught her to wash her hands properly and inspired her to become a health superstar. “I want to reach to that star [on the story mat]. I practice good hygiene every morning. My teacher tells me that I am looking clean and shining like a star!” Zeba says her mother also remarks on how much cleaner she keeps her surroundings at home.
Mohammad Zarif, 10, also participated in the programme. His favorite part was the ladder game. “I played this with my friends here several times, and I was the winner!” Zarif really enjoys watching the Elmo and Raya story because, “I learned from [them] how to keep myself clean. My family has also noticed [a difference in my appearance], which makes me happy and encourages me.”
Burhan, Zarif’s father, comments on the changes in Zarif’s routine. “In the past, Zarif was not very interested in [the state of] his clothing and hygiene. But since participating [in WASH UP] he is now much more social and [hygiene conscious]. He is an example for many children in the village, including my other children, who copy his behaviour.”
Razia, 24, is a WVA WASH facilitator. She trains community volunteers to conduct sessions in their villages. “The programme has been welcomed by parents and children alike,” she says. “They enthusiastically attend WASH UP.” Razia really enjoys being a facilitator and playing a part in the success stories. She is amazed by the changes that have taken place in the past year. Before, “They didn’t consider their hygiene at all, but now they regularly practice [what we taught in classes]. I am happy to see all of these clean faces and hands, which wasn’t the case not too long ago!”
The WASH UP programme was initiated with support from WV US, with the aim of encouraging children to consider the importance of hygiene and sanitation and integrate programme principles into their daily lives. In Herat and Badghis provinces there are 71 WASH UP clubs offering regular classes to roughly 14,375 boys and girls.
