NOA on hand washing campaign

For this reason, the agency has stepped up campaign on six key household practices namely: immunisation, exclusive breastfeeding, HIV/AIDS, washing of hands at critical times, the use of oral rehydration solution and the use of insecticide treated net. The campaign aims at reaching the grassroots through what NOA calls Community Dialogue. The programme kicked off […]

For this reason, the agency has stepped up campaign on six key household practices namely: immunisation, exclusive breastfeeding, HIV/AIDS, washing of hands at critical times, the use of oral rehydration solution and the use of insecticide treated net.

The campaign aims at reaching the grassroots through what NOA calls Community Dialogue.

The programme kicked off last week in Abuja with a workshop on capacity training for NOA staff.

After the training, the staff proceeded to 60 local communities in the three area councils of FCT: Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari and Abaji to pass the message.

Twenty communities in each of the area councils would be covered in the exercise that started on Friday.

A NOA staff who spoke to our reporter, Mrs Mary Tanko said, “Many have abandoned these things we acquired in our elementary school. That is why we have increasing number of people having problems of diarrhoea, sicknesses of different types.

“So efforts are made now to encourage people to go back to such practices. Washing of hands at critical times, that is before eating; after going out of your house, wash your hands when you return; when you use your toilet, wash your hands; when a mother wants to breast feed her baby, wash her hands; after changing the baby’s diapers, wash her hands. If we develop the culture of washing our hands at all times, half of the diseases that we suffer from will have been taken care of.”

NOA FCT director, Mr Richard Torhee said the dailogue was aimed at helping the people tackle their problems themselves. He said issues involved affected women and children mostly “because they are the most vulnerable in household related matters.”

Torhee explained, “As petty as they look, they are the major causes of diseases in the community. Women go to the kitchen, they don’t wash their hands properly before they start preparing food…these are critical but people take them for granted.”