New Delhi, Dec 16, 2024: Savlon Swasth India Mission -- an initiative by ITC Savlon to encourage behaviour change -- has led to significant impact, according to a new study. Since its inception in 2016, Savlon Swasth India Mission has directly engaged over 10 million children, in India's largest school-based preventive health & hygiene program.
Preventable infections create a huge economic burden on our country and regular handwashing is one of the simplest, most effective ways to stop the spread of diseases. This habit, however, needs continuous emphasis and engagement to build. Savlon Swasth India Mission, ITC’s social education programme, has been conceived to positively impact regular handwashing behaviour amongst children, thereby helping reduce the burden of preventable infections.
In order to analyse and quantify the impact, ITC commissioned a robust impact study with Kantar, focusing on Savlon Swasth India Mission’s School Contact Program. The results were unequivocal – the top 5 impacts are -- 87% of the mothers reported that their children had a lower incidence of sickness; 90% of the children correctly recall the steps of handwashing – demonstrating that they have learnt the skill; 96% of the kids remembered to wash their hands after using the toilet – an important intervention point; all kids ensured they washed their hands before having tiffin in school; and 95% of the children exposed to the program liked it so much that they talk about it with their friends.
“In line with its proposition of Healthier Kids, Stronger India, Savlon Swasth India Mission continues its endeavour to make children into ‘community change champions’ who practice and encourage proper hand hygiene habits. It is a long-term investment in the future of India's health,” remarked Sameer Satpathy, Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited.
Learning handwashing is like a learning a skill. Savlon Swasth India Mission ensures that this critical life skill is learnt successfully by children at an early age. These results underscore that the program has been effective in fostering a behavioural change & instilling handwashing as a habit. This behavioural shift represents the core of Savlon Swasth India Mission’s success: ensuring children possess the skills necessary to maintain good hygiene throughout their lives, empowering them to safeguard their health and the health of their communities.
Savlon Swasth India Mission’s strength lies in its innovative, engaging approach to hygiene education. Understanding that merely disseminating information would not suffice, the mission sought to make hygiene aspirational for children. Through socially relevant campaigns like “Hand Ambassador” featuring Sachin Tendulkar, “Haath Dhona Cool Hai” featuring rapper Emiway Bantai, and innovations like the “Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks”, the program has woven hand hygiene into the very fabric of young Indian minds. These creative approaches have succeeded in making handwashing fun, accessible, and relevant to children’s daily lives, resulting in a profound cultural shift in attitudes towards hygiene.
Now in its 8th year, Savlon Swasth India Mission is considered as the most consistent and impactful initiative in hand hygiene education across the country, continuously expanding its reach and influence.
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