Do you know that handwashing is critical to preventing illness, especially infectious diseases? Proper handwashing can reduce the rate of diarrhea by 40 percent and respiratory infection by 20 percent. Interestingly, 50 percent of food-related illnesses are caused by poor hand hygiene.
The 15th of October is recognized the world over as Global Handwashing Day. a day dedicated to increasing advocacy and awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective way to prevent diseases and saves lives.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is tagged ‘Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.’ WaterAid in partnership with South Saharan, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) commemorated the Global Handwashing Day at two schools: Township School 1 Ogrute and Community Primary School Ugwu-Amufie both in Igboeze North LGA.
The pupils were taught the six critical times to wash their hands, alongside the techniques for handwashing; this session was facilitated by a representative from the state Ministry of Water Resources. Handwashing buckets and liquid soaps were presented to the two schools to also promote hand hygiene in the schools.
The Environmental Health Clubs that had been established and trained by the WASH Unit of the Local Government were inaugurated by the visiting team.
The representatives from the ENSUBEB and the schools’ administration appreciated the team and reassured the team of their continuous support towards hand hygiene and general hygiene promotion. Through this activity, 174 students were reached in total: 100 Females and 74 Males.
This outing is one of the key deliverables for the HBCC II project that will ensure the promotion of hygiene behaviour change to improve personal hygiene.
