Sesame Street WASH-UP!

Help children learn the importance of handwashing and sanitation through WASH UP!

World Vision believes every child is worthy of a strong, vibrant, and healthy life, and providing clean water, handwashing education, and dignified sanitation is the first step that enables children to thrive and achieve this.

Through this project, we are teaming up with Sesame Workshop to bring life-saving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education— in a program called “WASH UP!”—to thousands of schools worldwide.

WASH UP!’s play-based learning materials feature 6-year-old Raya and her friend Elmo. The complete material set includes a storybook about Raya’s journey to become a healthy superstar; video segments with Muppets Elmo and Raya; live-action films showing children in specific country contexts; a slides and ladders game to practice identifying healthy behaviors; a story mat to play a multitude of fun hygiene games; a set of comic books teaching various hygiene lessons; and a facilitator’s guide. Sesame Workshop contextualizes the material to fit country contexts and later trains local teachers to facilitate the curriculum.

Children learn these lessons at school and then can teach their siblings and even their parents—becoming positive agents of change in their communities.

World Vision is working to scale up and strengthen the WASH UP! program in the current 16 implementing countries and expand it to other countries. But to do so, we need your help.   It costs $12.5 million to reach 3.5 million children and adults with WASH UP!

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.  —Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)