Installation guide to handwashing nudges

UNICEF and IDinsight recently tested handwashing nudges in public elementary schools in the Philippines—and we found impressive results:

Nudges improved handwashing rates by 17.3 percentage points (pp). In grades 1-6 classrooms without nudges, pupils washed their hands with soap 11.7 percent of the time after using the toilet. In classrooms with nudges, pupils washed their hands after toilet use 29.0 percent of the time after toilet-use.

Nudges increased availability of water and soap at handwashing stations near toilets by 38 percent. In many of these classrooms, students washed their hands with water from a bucket and soap that teachers were responsible for replenishing. Because of this mechanism for providing water and soap, this suggests that nudges most likely increased soap and water availability by reminding teachers to replenish water and soap more consistently in their classrooms. The nudges were well-liked by interviewed principals, teachers, and students at schools where they were installed.

Best of all, the handwashing nudges were relatively inexpensive (we estimate in the Philippines it would cost PHP 561 or USD 11.07 per classroom¹) and easy to install.

Installation guide content items:

1. One-pager
2. Handwashing nudges user note
3. Guide to adapting nudges
4. Installation instructions
5. Resources