With help from a fuzzy friend from Sesame Workshop, kids learn about sanitation and hygiene.
Sesame Street is a lot like Rotary: It’s a place where the neighbors are friendly, and it’s home to characters from many countries. In São Paulo, Brazil, those worlds will come together when Raya, one of the newest Muppets from Sesame Workshop, speaks at the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group’s World Water Summit on 4 June, right before the Rotary International Convention. Sesame introduced Raya last year with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to teach the more than 40 million children who watch the show in Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria about sanitation and hygiene. We talked to Raya and her friend Stephen Sobhani, vice president of international projects at Sesame Workshop, about how she’s helping kids be safe and healthy.
THE ROTARIAN: Raya, have you ever heard of Rotary?
RAYA: I have heard of a rotary. In fact, I went through two on my way here today. They’re like circles in the road, right?
TR: That’s one kind of rotary. Here at Rotary International, we like to help kids, and one way we do it is to talk about water, sanitation, and hygiene. You do that too! But isn’t sanitation Oscar’s specialty?
RAYA: You know, what’s right for a grouch isn’t always exactly what’s right for boys and girls like me. That’s why I always tell all my friends to use a latrine when they need to go.
TR: Stephen, what’s the difference between characters on Sesame Street in various countries worldwide?
SOBHANI: When we created the series 45 years ago, it was to engage young children with important lessons about numbers, letters, and emotional well-being. We were delighted when educators and producers from around the world wanted to replicate the series in their own countries. In-country Sesame teams often create characters who can address education and health challenges that are especially relevant in a particular country or region. For example, Kami was created to help the Takalani Sesame friends in South Africa address sensitive and complicated topics related to HIV/AIDS. Chamki, a core member of the Galli Galli Sim Sim cast in India, models girls’ active and equal participation in activities ranging from school to cricket.
TR: What makes Muppets so great at teaching kids about social issues?
SOBHANI: Children can easily relate to our heartwarming characters. These sweet groups of Muppet friends have a unique ability to discuss seemingly off-limits health topics in ways that might be difficult for a human.
TR: Raya, in the United States, kids your age sometimes get in trouble in school for “potty talk.” How do you help them talk about this issue?
RAYA: Well, I’m only six, but I know there’s an important difference between “potty talk” and talking about the potty. Sometimes people chuckle when I say, “Everyone poops, so let’s not be shy about it.” But when they think about it, they realize it’s true. Once we can get past that, we can talk about the important part: making sure we do it in a clean and healthy way.
TR: What song do you sing when you wash your hands?
RAYA: There are so many songs! I know a lot of handwashing songs in different languages, and I also like to sing the “ABC” song – starting with the letter A when I start to scrub my hands with soap, and stopping when I get to “now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me?” By then there are a million bubbles that I get to wash off. After the song, I know my hands are clean.
TR: I didn’t know Muppets wore shoes. But you do! Why?
RAYA: Oh, we wear shoes – Elmo’s got some really awesome kicks. I’ve got on my favorite sandals. The thing is, I really don’t like germs. I know that when I wear my sandals, I am protecting my feet from germs – especially around the latrine. So not only are my sandals fashion forward, they help keep me clean and healthy.
TR: Stephen, how can Rotary clubs help Raya?
SOBHANI: I have seen firsthand the power of Rotarians working together to address one of the largest public health challenges the world has ever seen, through the remarkable Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotarians think big, they do big, and they have transformed the global health landscape for the better. Children getting sick and dying from poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a pressing health issue that, like polio, is preventable. We would like to partner with Rotary to bring the important WASH messages that Raya is phenomenal at highlighting to every Rotary club in the world. The anchor to this would be the creation of a Sesame/Rotary WASH tool kit that would contain videos, story mats, and teaching materials for Rotary clubs to use in their communities. Imagine what we could do if every Rotary club in the world took on WASH.
Learn more about Sesame Workshop’s WASH Up! initiative at www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/our-initiatives/wash-up. The theme of this year’s World Water Summit is WASH in schools; register at www.wasrag.org.