Delta State Committee on Food and Nutrition, in collaboration with the State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, has kicked off an aggressive sensitisation campaign in 20 Communities and Schools across three Local Government Areas in the State on the practice of personal hygiene and distribution of handwashing facilities.
This exercise forms part of the Government’s commitment to entrenching a culture of personal hygiene in the promotion of better nutritional outcomes for citizens of the State, especially children.
The intervention, which commenced Wednesday at the Ebise Primary School, Oria-Abraka and the T.E.A. Salubi Primary School, Ovu-Oviorie, both in Ethiope East Local Government Area of the State, would continue to other Communities and Schools in Burutu, Ukwuani and Ethiope East LGAs.
The team, which was led by Sunday Egbukile, an Engineer and Director of Sanitation at the Delta State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, tasked community representatives, teachers and pupils to embrace proper hygiene practices.
Such practices, he said, included building of proper toilets or latrines with the use of drop hole covers, noting that doing that would prevent flies from accessing the faeces and spreading diseases with it, as well as the use of ashes to reduce smell.
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Egbukile advised the Community representatives on the benefits of proper washing of hands as the practice helps to reduce more than 60% of illnesses.
They were also advised to stop washing their hands in bowls, rather they should make use of running water and soap.
The people were also taught how to construct hand washing equipment with the use of a knife, a plastic container with a cover and a tap head.
“This equipment should be placed close to the toilet mainly to enable easy access after using the toilet”, he advised.
Also speaking, Victor Onukwu, the Representative of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, (SCFN), explained that the Committee embarked on the sensitisation on personal hygiene to encourage a culture of good personal and environmental hygiene.
This sensitisation exercise demonstrates our commitment to Community-centred sanitation and personal hygiene.
He said, “As part of the pursuit of proper nutrition for our people, the handling of food must be done in a clean and hygienic manner to preserve the health of the people.
“Diseases are spread through contaminated water and food that are not properly handled, as a poor handwashing culture, open defecation and poor waste management practices hamper the proper preparation of nutritious meals for the family.”
