Fortunate in being located on a highway and in having electricity and a convenient water supply, the village of Sangma, India, is populated mainly by very low-income families struggling for existence. Most adults living in Sangma are away from home at work most of the day; due to the fragmentation of the joint family system, young children are left in the care of older siblings who themselves need parental care. Young children left at home are exposed to health and safety risks resulting from inadequate drainage, the use of open-air latrines, inadequate supervision, and the early acquisition of injurious habits. To counter such conditions, a project was developed that used school children as community change agents to improve health and hygiene practices. The project consisted of four phases: community orientation to the project, training of school children who were minders of younger children, a pilot study of children attending school, and implementation with village children who did not attend school. Sessions with the younger community children included organized play, group folk songs, dramatization, and puppet shows. Observations indicated that the project had positive effects on both the older volunteer school children and the children trained as childminders who did not attend school. (RH)