Global Handwashing Day: UNICEF, RUWASSA Takes Campaign to Rimau Community in Kaduna
BY Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), on Wednesday takes handwashing awareness campaign to Universal Basic Education Primary School in Rimau, Kajuru Local Government Area in Kaduna State, as part of activities to commemorate the global hand washing day.
The handwashing awareness with the theme; “Our Hands Our Future” was targeted at school pupils, their teachers and surrounding community leaders around the school was aimed at inculcating hygiene culture through regular hand washing particularly after every critical activity involving the use of the hands.
Speaking at the program, the WASH specialist, UNICEF Kaduna field office, Theresa Pama encouraged the pupils to wash their hands regularly with soap and water, make effective hand washing a habit and raise their washed hands to the air to dry.
According to her, “regular washing of hands after critical activities like after going to the toilet, farm, sweeping, a cleaning of the house among several other activities could greatly help to guide against diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, cholera etc.
“You are encouraged to take this knowledge of proper and regular hand washing back home to your parents, tell them to also cultivate the habit of washing their hands before cooking, after toilet, before and after eating as a way of ensuring a healthy living” she said.
Also speaking, the WASH facilitator in Kajuru local government area Gana Joseph, the school Head Teacher Ali Danbaiki also urged the pupils and teachers alike to take the culture of hand washing very seriously.
The pupils and teachers were enthusiastic about the knowledge of hand washing and the practical demonstration of how to properly wash the hands after critical activity.
The use of tippy taps and soap was used to demonstrate various steps of hand washing, while the pupils, teachers also partook in the demonstration.
Global Handwashing day is an annual event set aside by the United Nations, dedicated to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of Handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
