April 17, 2026 07:18 am (IST)
Follow us:
Young champions of 'Raho Swachh, Jiyo Mast' Campaign felicitated in Kolkata
Kolkata, Feb 13 (IBNS): Galli Galli Sim Sim (GGSS), the popular children's educational programme, on Friday felicitated over 100 children and community volunteers as part of its 'Raho Swachh, Jiyo Mast' campaign, which was undertaken in the Jorasankho and Narkaldenga areas of Kolkata.
Excited children met Raya, the six-year-old Muppet who is also Sesame Workshop’sglobal ambassadorof WASH Up! (Water, Sanitation and Health) – the non-profit’s first global health initiative.
“Raho Swacch, Jiyo Mast” (an Indian adaptation of ‘Cleaner, Healthier, Happier’ – a multi-country campaign) is part of a global health initiative WASH Up! that aims to reduce the mortality rate of children under five years of age, who are susceptible to preventable and treatable diseases, by providing access to sanitation and hygiene education.
The project in India has been generously supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through PSAs, locally produced live action and studio segments, as well as books, games, and other print materials.
According to 2011 census report ,around 53.1% households do not have any toilet while 49.8% practice open defecation. 41.2% households in West Bengal do not have any toilet while 38.6% practice open defecation. In Kolkata 5.1% of households do not have access to latrine at home while almost 1% practices open defecation causing diseases like diarrhea, which has claimed the lives of many children in Kolkata’s slums.
Diarrhea, the second leading cause of death among children under five globally, is the primary cause of early childhood mortality in India: with 200,000diarrhea deaths in India every year. Other water related diseases, such as typhoid, cholera and jaundice, also contribute to high child mortality.
The “Raho Swachh, Jiyo Mast”campaign’s intervention in Kolkata focused on improving sanitation related behaviour among young children, their caregivers and their communities. The campaign will be further rolled out at scale to cover over 50,000 children and their families from April 2015.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Ministry of Ayush celebrates World Homoeopathy Day 2026 — Here’s why it matters now
Fri, Apr 10 2026
Kolkata hospital performs rare robotic surgery for penile cancer, patient walks on day three
Wed, Apr 08 2026
Over 100 dead in Bangladesh measles outbreak. Is India at risk?
Tue, Apr 07 2026
Sleeping at odd hours? Your heart might be at serious risk
Sun, Apr 05 2026