WinS nudges guide COVID-19

This resource guide provides an overview of the science behind nudge-based handwashing interventions and the evidence supporting the use of environmental nudges for handwashing in schools in low-resource settings. Resources and tools for planning and implementing nudge-based interventions in schools are also provided.

Environmental nudges should be considered one component of a larger multi-modal strategy for encouraging and sustaining handwashing with soap at critical times among school-aged children. The focus of this resource guide is on a select number of nudge-based interventions that focus on using handwashing supplies and infrastructure placement and properties to cue and trigger handwashing among school-aged children. The interventions described here should be viewed as an interim intervention strategy for school reopenings in the context of COVID-19. More detailed and comprehensive behaviour change strategies will be needed in order to ensure that handwashing behaviour is incorporated into existing school routines and translates into improved habits among school aged children.

This resource guide is intended for programme staff involved in the design and implementation of a school-based hand hygiene intervention, particularly within the context of COVID-19. The guide should be used in combination with other key resources for school reopening, including:

• 10 Immediate WASH in Schools (WinS) Actions
• UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WFP’s “Framework for Reopening Schools
• The Global Education Cluster’s “Safe Back to School: a Practitioner’s Guide