Title Smile Connects

Aim To teach children basic hygiene with two activities –

1Washing hands
2.Brushing teeth
(Provide them with package that includes1 tooth paste, brush and soap)
NGO Address Joining Hands
C - 63, 1st Floor,
Defence Colony,
New Delhi -24
+91 11 4656 2485
www.joininghandsindia.org

Project Location Kapas Hera, Gurgaon

Project coordinator -Ieva Lace, Intern Joining Hands

1 doctor, 2 theater teachers, 13 volunteers.
Participants
Target group 100 children (age group 2 – 15 yrs)
Idea Smile connects. When we want to impress somebody we smile. Each of us needs
basic education and hygiene. Many organizations, government departments,
initiatives in India try to improve disrepute situation, but still there are many slum
children who has no idea how to brush their teeth.
The Idea is to do some small initiative to improve this situation. An international
student from Latvia Ieva Lace appealed to others to inspire slum children to brush
tooth and use soaps, arranged volunteer team, local heroes stories to inspire
children, was able to find sponsor for 100 tooth pastes, brushes, soaps and went to
slum areas to educate children, because she believes – clean bodies create clean
minds. So simple, so effective.
 The activity was planned in two parts –
Part one- Orientation to the volunteers, selection of group leader
Program details Part two- Creating awareness amongst the target group by the volunteers with the
help of the group leader
Children were divided in two groups. Group leader for group A was Amita Dahiya
from Joining Hands and Group B was Kamal Banerjee, the theater teacher.
During the time all volunteers had a chance to use all the best skills what they
had. Most children in the slum belong to migrants from Bihar and Bengal. Some of
the volunteers could speak Bengali and they connected well with the children.
Children took this activity seriously and volunteers were very happy and satisfied.
One of the volunteers will implement the same project in his hometown. It is great
to learn that people are inspired and think positively about the project.

 Monitoring visit on 30 April;

 Check up day on 18 May, and children who would like to continue this
Follow up activity, will be given new toothpaste and soaps;
 Brainstorm about project monitoring and systematic way how to improve
project, make it more sustainable

Recommendations
 To improve problem monitoring, will be chosen other slum area, were
monitoring system is already implemented and children need just small
training and beginning tools;

 It was necessary to have more timing organization, more management

process to improve meeting system, time and orientation