The government dispensary had not been in use for many years. The door hung crooked from the hinges, banging shut as the wind blew. The streets were littered with garbage while mosquitoes swarmed over the stagnant water.

Children and older people usually scurried through the village streets holding their noses in disgust, disturbing the flies which buzzed over the garbage mounds. The few cyclists, who dared to cycle through the slush and filthy water on the broken roads, were usually cursing by the end of it, as their cycles wobbled dangerously.

This was the scene Alpa Biju, a school teacher in Delhi Public School, Bopal, viewed from her bus window everyday, on the way to school. During the monsoons, they would be up to an hour late because of the water logging. She felt sad to see that in a world where people struggled for literacy and awareness, this small village called Bopal, near Ahmedabad, had still not been able to solve its problems of cleanliness and sanitation.

Ms. Biju had recently trained with Intel® Teach on enhancing education through technology and her training had made her aware of the power and reach of technology. Today, while the stink made her cover her nose and mouth in disgust, her mind was excitedly devising a plan, where she could use her training to benefit the villagers.

She had to work on a global community sustainability (GCS)project with students of class 8 and it occurred to her that if they worked on issues of cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene in the village, they could spread awareness and also bring about a desirable change.

Ms. Biju discussed the idea in class and found that all her students were very keen and enthusiastic. They were all inspired to work towards a change. Together, they decided to make a presentation on the computer, working collaboratively to show not only the ill effects of the lack of hygiene and sanitation, but also what needed to be done.

The students divided themselves in groups and while some planned out banners to make people aware of the dangers of an unclean environment, others did a lot of research on the solution to their problems. Working innovatively, they sourced out similar problems in other villages and learnt from the solutions that had been developed.

Technology was a powerful tool in their hands. It gave them the power to reach the entire village and through the audio visual means of the presentation they were sure to attract attention. In their presentation they had highlighted the danger of malaria, cholera and dengue and other diseases that could spread because of the lack of sanitation.

With the help of their school principal Mr. Sunil Trivedi, the students fixed up a meeting with the professors of the C. N Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad who detailed for the villagers in the local language, the threat facing the community because of lack of hygiene and sanitation in the village.

Next, the students met the members of the Ahmedabad Municipal Council(AMC). In the interview, they addressed to the AMC officials the problems facing the villagers and asked for solutions.

The students then took these interviews to the Panchayat. They held street plays to bring to peoples notice what they could do to fight the lack of hygienic surroundings in the village.

A place that should have been pollution free air had not been left clean enough to live in.

The students’ efforts made the Panchayat wake up. The local people also realized their own apathy in dealing with the problem and started to work with the students.

The village elders took the initiative and called up the officials of the AMC to ask for regular disposal of garbage. The villagers also asked for a doctor and nurse to be assigned to their village dispensary. After many years the dispensary would start functioning again.

The students’ commitment to the cause had achieved the desired results.

Ms Alpa Biju was very proud of her students efforts. Eight months have passed since then. The village sparkles brighter and cleaner than ever before. There is no garbage to be found littering the roads. Villagers no longer pass by with a cloth over their nose and mouth. Cyclists sail smoothly over the roads, feeling pride in their cleanliness.

In fact, Alpa Biju and her school children also reach school on time.

For their efforts their school was selected as the Ambassadors to Australia representing Indian Centre for Environmental Education. The technology that had empowered her had touched the community. It had created changes which would last and always be cherished.