Nigeria: washing hands with soap and water can have a significant impact on children’s health

Children washing hands in Nigeria with Teal portable sinks

Call for effort to “double” current efforts on water and sanitation

Federal Government has hailed the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union for aiding the provision of potable water and ensuring sanitation in Nigeria, according to a recent report on the Nigerian Voice website, which also warns of the importance of effective hand washing provision for children in the country.

The article, byĀ Olawale Adewale, stated thatĀ Olumide Osanyinpeju gave the commendation at aĀ Media Dialogue for selected journalists on a Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Project held in Jos, Plateau State. MrĀ Osanyinpeju isĀ the Deputy Director of the Child Right Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

“It is a fact that UNICEF and EU has been in the forefront of ensuring that we have access to safe drinking water supply, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene in our environment and communities.”

The article highlights the call to action to journalists byĀ MrĀ Osanyinpeju, as he urged them to help increase awareness to “double the current efforts on water and sanitation” and utilising it to ensure effective hand washing at key times.

“Washing hands with soap after going to the toilet or before eating can have a significant impact on childrenā€™s health. Good hygiene practices reduce the incidence of diseases such as pneumonia, trachoma, scabies, skin and eye infections and diarrhoea-related diseases like cholera and dysentery.”

WASH focus

The UNICEF website describes WASH as follows:-

“WASH is the collective term for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Due to their interdependent nature, these three core issues are grouped together to represent a growing sector. While each a separate field of work, each is dependent on the presence of the other. For example, without toilets, water sources become contaminated; without clean water, basic hygiene practices are not possible.”

FG commends UNICEF, EU for aiding provision of water, ensuring sanitation in Nigeria Ā»


 

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Effective hand washing – even in the remotest areas of Africa

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Dirty water is stored in a separate tank and can easily be emptied away.

More about the TEAL WashStand Ā»

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