The Need
Students learn better when schools are safe, secure, happy and comfortable. In a place like East Delhi with myriad daily stresses and disaster risks coincide, a holistic school safety initiative was required. One that went beyond the confines of the school compound to ensure children go to school without fear, remain safe in school and return home safely! The programme was later extended to Dehradun and Haridwar districts in Uttarakhand, areas which face high seismic and flood risk and extreme difficulties for children to get to school.
How we helped
Honeywell Safe Schools is a holistic school safety program that is built on SEEDS’ child-first approach to risk reduction. It empowers children to become change agents for building resilience in their communities.
Designed to bring a tailor-made approach to each school’s unique challenges, the implementation differed in each of our 150 schools.
Overall, however, it addresses different facets of safety and security including:
- Developing detailed disaster management plans and early warning systems for each school
- Forming a Disaster Management Committee and getting other key stakeholders involved
- Forming task forces for students to take the lead – on fire safety, first aid, search & rescue, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH).
- Preventing loss from falling hazards: As highly earthquake prone zones, understanding and addressing non-structural mitigation was a key component
- Making the environment of the school more child-friendly through small design changes
- Running campaigns on environmental risks – particularly heat stress and air pollution
- Looking at safety on the road and other risks in the neighbourhood
- Behavioural campaigns on water, sanitation and hygiene
Leaving a mark
The programme has already reached 52,000 children, 45,000 parents, and 2200 teachers across 50 schools in East Delhi. It aims to reach another 31,000 students, 50,000 parents, and 700 teachers across 100 schools in Dehradun and Haridwar districts of Uttarakhand.
Learn more about this initiative