WHAT: Access to infrastructure is the first ingredient to bring a desired behavior into action. However, access alone is not going to shift a habit. If a child has the habit of leaving a toilet and going straight to a playground, then the presence of a handwashing station won’t necessarily fracture that habit and form a new one. The second approach Splash uses to try and change behaviors in children, is creating an enabling environment through the use of nudges.

Splash has installed a few different nudges, specifically 1) Splash has mounted mirrors above handwashing stations to draw students towards the station. Piggybacking on the behavior of checking appearance, to increase the behavior of handwashing. 2) Splash has also painted a pathway and footsteps, which lead from the toilet to the handwashing station. This creates a visual cue to follow the path towards the station. 3) Even the design of the stations themselves, are designed to be attractive and eye-catching, so that children are drawn towards them, with the belief that once in front of a handwashing station, the child is more likely to wash their hands.

WHY: These visual cues are used to break up the usual environment and nudge children towards a desired behavior. That way the behavior can be effortless and automatic, eventually becoming a habit that is routinely practiced.

HOW: Splash will follow the specified guidelines in the Behavior Change for Children Annex and install the appropriate nudge depending on the audience. New nudges should be developed and tested in collaboration with the Global Manager of Behavior Change.

Below is an example of a mirror installation: