Foreigners are literally paddling towards a cleaner and healthier countryside in Himachal Pradesh.
The Central Government’s ambitious programme Swachh Bharat Abhiyan may not be on their agenda, but they were racing towards generating awareness among school children and local villagers on the importance of hygiene and sanitation while negotiating sharp curves.
They are associated with the eight-day 13th Hero MTB (mountain biking) Himalaya race that began from the state capital on September 29 and will culminate in Dharamsala town after traversing largely over tiny helmets spread over 650 km on October 7.
“A team of eight volunteers, comprising six foreigners, are part of our social initiatives, mainly Mission Smile this year,” Mohit Sood, President of the Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA), the local club that organises the MTB Himalaya rally, told IANS.
Mission Smile, the fourth year in succession that runs along with the MTB Himalaya race, is a HASTPA’s social initiative that aims to educate the children and their parents to eradicate open defecation and improve hygiene.
The so-called ‘Ambassadors of Hygiene’ every day visit around eight government schools located along the race route and educate the students along with their teachers and parents through interactions and distributing booklets published by HASTPA. One of the schools they visited on Sunday was located in the interiors of Kullu district. The schools were opened despite being a weekend holiday.
“We are really impressed by the level of awareness among the students about hygiene and sanitation besides keeping the local environment neat and clean even in a remote village like this,” Susan Padrones from Spain told IANS over the phone.
She said it was really an incredible and enriching experience interacting with these children in the remote beautiful parts of the Himalayas last time too as part of Mission Smile.
“I was so overwhelmed by their love and warmth so wanted to return and contribute to their growth.
This time I brought some books as gifts for these children,” she added.