‘Swachh to Swasth’, RB’s flagship BSI will empower people with the choice of better health

• Hygiene impact bonds will increase life years for 15 million Indians across Uttar Pradesh
• Nutrition impact bonds will help reduce stunting by 40% and wasting by <5%
• Scaling up Dettol School Hygiene Programs in Schools
• Creating Pre-Primary Health Care Champions on Hygiene in Uttar Pradesh
• Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) in 7 North eastern states and Safe Sex Education in five biggest red-light areas/districts

Mumbai, 2 October 2019: Reckitt Benckiser, world’s leading consumer Health and Hygiene Company, with its flagship BSI Campaign leading a successful Swachh message for five years now transitions from ‘Swachh to Swasth’. Supported by Campaign Ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan, this year the campaign embarks on a new phase that will focus on driving attention towards the well-being of mothers and children. If hygiene and nutrition can begin there, a strong foundation can be laid for the future health of the society.

This will be achieved by concerted efforts targeted under four key pillars of the campaign that include Nutrition – providing a balanced diet to both young mothers and new born children; Breastfeeding – ensuring the importance of breastfeeding is known to all; Handwash – inculcating regular hand washing practices and Sanitation – reducing instances of diarrhea, especially amongst children. The campaign will focus on converging these pillars in order to reduce the instances of preventable diseased leading to better health for mothers and children.

Commenting on the development, Lakshman Narsimhan, CEO, RB said, “It is heartwarming to see the impact created by BSI in the last five years, and I am extremely humbled to be a part of this campaign. Driving behavior change and empowering people with the choice of better health and hygiene outcomes is at the core of the program. We have already reached more than 13 million children across 8 states in the country and are seeing positive change towards building a healthier India. We now need to bring the attention towards young mothers and their newborns who are the future generation of this country. Ensuring proper nutrition, can lay a strong foundation for the future health of the society and improve the general quality of lives.”

As part of behaviour change communication activations, Banega Swasth India plans to roll out a Hygiene Impact bond to reduce in prevalence of Diarrhea among children and increase life years for 15 million Indians across Uttar Pradesh. We also have the Nutrition Impact Bond aimed at transforming the nutritional status of children in the state of Gujarat and Maharashtra while reduce stunting by 40% and wasting by <5%. The campaign will also continue to scale up its Dettol Hygiene curriculum in schools across India and create pre-primary health care champions on Hygiene in Uttar Pradesh. Focus will also be on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) in 7 north eastern states and Safe Sex Education in five biggest red-light areas/districts.

On the Swachchataa Divas i.e. October 2, 2019, RB reiterated its commitment towards driving a healthy India at the 12-hour long Cleanathon hosted by Bollywood Actor, Amitabh Bachchan. With various prominent personalities coming to the event to lend their support the conversation and share their opinions. The conversation was also stirred towards discussing:

Impact created as part of the Dettol Banega Swasth India in the past five years:

• Dettol Hygiene Curriculum has been instrumental in bringing 10% reduction in diarrhea instances, while increasing the school attendance in the same proportion. Highest increase in school attendance has been witnessed in UP and Bihar i.e. 17 % increase on average
• The Curriculum has brought behaviour change towards hygiene practices in 13 million school going children across 8 states, 40 districts, 256 blocks and 6,50,000 schools with focus on personal hygiene, at home hygiene, at school hygiene, hygiene during illness and neighbourhood hygiene.
• Community Behaviour Change program done with grassroot workers through personal connected reached out to 3 states, 13 districts, 5 lakh households and out of these:
• 50 Maharashtra Urban Local Bodies were declared ODF by President of India
• Over 300 villages declared ODF in UP and Bihar
• helped save 485,000 economic working days by reduction in sickness due to poor Health and Hygiene caused due to Diarrhea
• In Raigarh Maharashtra, over 21,000 toilets constructed making 356 Gram panchayats declared ODF
• Launched India’s first World Toilet College in partnership with Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh), Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) and World Toilet Organization
• Capacity to train 22,000 students and has already
• Successfully trained 3200 Manual Scavenges with 93% Placement Record in its first year
• Over 4 lakh trees planted across Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh
• producing 4.6 million litre Oxygen
• 4,00,000 tons of carbon offset
• Anti-stubble burning Behaviour Change Communication Outreach covering farmers in over 100 villages in Punjab.   
• Launched RB-Maharashtra Nutrition Programme in 2018, to improve the nutritional status across these villages in Nandurbar and Amravati districts