WASH Track: Handwashing demonstration involving mothers of under-fives in Abete Community

Water, Sanitation , and Hygiene(WASH) is very important to public health, particularly health of under-five children, who have been established as most affected when it comes to issues of lack of safe water, improved sanitation and hand hygiene.

WaterAid(2016) World Toilet Day Report- shows that annually, 45,000 children died  in Nigeria as a result of poor WASH, while UNICEF(2018) data shows that at east 70,000 die annually in Nigeria from diseases relating to unsafe water, poor sanitation system and poor hand hygiene practice.

Having mothers of under-five children participate actively in handwashing using soap and water is very important in the effort to reduce the risk exposure of the children to disease burdens resulting from poor hand hygiene.

Taking turns, the mothers here shared their knowledge and experiences of hand washing. But, we realised that even those who said that they practice handwashing, do so without using soap.

Community social mobilizer, Omolara Ajibade, restated the importance of using soap and running water, so that mothers are able to protect the health of their children.

However, the community still faces challenges of access to clean water.

Essential times for handwashing with soap and clean water:

After using the toilet

After cleaning baby’s excreta and changing used diapers

Before preparing food

Before feeding baby

Before and after eating

After attending to someone who is ill

After attending to an animal

After cleaning the environment

#AtTheMarinaToday

#WASH