The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) has equipped 320 public schools in Kwara State with hygiene wash stations to promote hygiene and healthy living among students.
The chief programme manager of WBFA, Kehinde Akinsola, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement on the WBFA-Dettol Hygiene Quest programme among public school students in Ilorin, the state capital.
The event’s participants included health experts, state ministries of Education, Health, Women’s Development officials, the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and local government officials.
Akinsola explains that hand hygiene is a vital step toward healthy living and that hand washing is the first form of prevention.
He said, “Everywhere you go, germs follow you. So, the best way to stay safe is to wash your hands, which is why we take this message to schools, communities, and healthcare facilities.”
Akinsola said that 26,550 students were reached in the first and second quarters of the year through the programme’s engagement with students to promote proper hygiene practices within the targeted schools in Asa, Ilorin East, and Ilorin South local government areas of the state.
He added that 13,082 mothers (pregnant and lactating mothers of under-5 children) were educated during antenatal and postnatal classes and that 2,779 community members were visited in 31 communities of the state in efforts to promote hygiene among the local population.
Akinsola said that good hygiene reduces medical expenses, keeps children in school, and improves their academic performance, ultimately securing a better future for them.
He charged the state and local governments to build on existing efforts by supporting the 320 Kwara schools equipped with hygiene wash stations.
“We want the government to adopt those schools as pilots, include them in the state budget, and provide consumables like soap to keep the Hygiene Quest Clubs sustainable”, he said.
The executive director and country director of Operations WBFA, Dr. Adebukola Shittu, said, “When organisations, individuals, and institutions come together, we can ensure the total well-being of everybody.”
Shittu described the programme as a mission-driven initiative that places the wellbeing of children and families at its core.
She said that through the initiative, schools were reached, educators engaged, and young learners empowered with knowledge and practical skills to serve them for a lifetime, adding that: “These are the early lessons that shape not only individual habits but also national health systems”.
“At WBFA, we hold firm to the principle that good health starts with prevention, and prevention starts with hygiene. This programme aligns seamlessly with our broader commitment to enhancing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices as a cornerstone of maternal, newborn, and child health”, she said.
In his remarks, the UNESCO desk officer in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Taiye Odedeji, rated the impact of WBFA and Reckitt high in school hygiene and healthy living.
Odedeji, however, advised that parents, school-based management committees, and communities should be more involved, especially in providing feedback on the activities already executed.
