By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
UNICEF Nigeria has marked today’s 15th Anniversary of Global Hand washing Day event 2021 in Maiduguri Borno State with a call to governments, partners, CSOs, public, private sectors and other stakeholders to key into global handwashing for good health.
Global Handwashing Day is a day dedicated to ensure that affordable products and services are available, especially, in disadvantaged areas and to enable a culture of hygiene to co aider and mainstream handwashing in their core programmes .
The WASH Manager, UNICEF Maiduguri Office, Mamita Bora Thakker who stated this on Thursday during the 15th Anniversary of the Global Handwashing Day held at Ramat Square Maiduguri said “, we need to move towards a world that supports the most vulnerable communities for instance those in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps with the means to protect their wealth and environment.
She added that there is the need to link all the various sectors to achieve universal hand hygiene practices by all Nigerians which will require key spaces and settings with visible change in infrastructure, behaviour and practices in households and communities, health facilities, schools, religious and community festivals, market places and IDPs camps among others.
The WASH Manager noted that focus in the determinants of handwashing rather than education alone require programs to be delivered over an extended period of time and combine a range of delivery mechanisms. Hence information alone is not enough to change people’s practices .
According to her, behaviorial change requires systematic approaches using evidence based frameworks and audience appropriate communication and community engagement strategies.
She suggested mass campaigns and behaviour change promotion through human resources who are trained in the essential skills and approaches for social mobilization and behaviour change communication, pointing out that, the success of every handwashing initiative will require investments to ensure access to the supplies and services required to practice hand hygiene .
She also observed that three pillars are critical for effective and sustainbale hand hygiene, which include a strong enabling environment, increase supply and demand for hand hygiene through inclusive programming at scale level.
The manager added that hand hygiene is a critical component of health delivery and infection, prevention and control in hospitals, which informed the need to be repositioned in a way that it will inform government decision on overall health sector investments , focusing on preventable health for majority of the population suffering from water related illness.
Borno State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo said using water and soap to wash hands is a vital habit that must be sustained in schools, at homes, in the markets, in offices , garages and sports centers among others
Similarly, The State Commissioner of Water Resources, Engineer Tijani Goni, represented by the Director of Ground Water of the ministry, Babagana Mala Abatcha, commended UNICEF for organizing the programme and assured that handwashing will be a priority of the ministry through supply of potable drinking water at all the various destinations listed including market places and schools.
Tijani assured of continuous synergy with all the partners on handwashing and hand hygiene while calling on other organizations to also join the crusade for better health, while noting that cleanliness is act of purity.
Borno State Commissioner of Health, Juliana Bitrus represented by Deputy Director, Nursing Services, Abdul Hassan called on the people to participate in the handwashing day activities while noting that the state government is not unmindful of the outbreak of cholera in the state which led to the demise of many people and hospitalization of many.
She maintained that efforts are being made by the government to improve in the measures and strategies adopted to control and stop the spread of cholera in the state through the provision of kits, facilities, drugs, manpower personnel, logistics , advocacy and public enlightenment.
Juliana also urged people to always maintain a good personal and environmental hygiene.
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