A leading non-governmental organisation, Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), has called on stakeholders to join forces in promoting good hygiene practices as a crucial step in preventing diseases such as the cholera outbreak.
The Foundation, in partnership with Dettol Nigeria, emphasised the importance of hygiene consciousness in reducing the risk of contracting cholera, which is closely linked to water and sanitation, at the quarterly stakeholders meeting to accelerate the hygiene quest project in schools, communities, and healthcare facilities in Lagos State.
The overarching aim of the project was to spread the gospel of hand hygiene and ensure that students, pregnant and nursing mothers, and community members have adequate knowledge about the importance of cleanliness.
Director of Programmes at Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Lagos, Anselm Ezeanya, said there was no better time to campaign or promote hand hygiene than now. “We know that cholera as an illness has a water and sanitation relationship.
“So what it means is that we need everybody to be hygienically conscious because we believe that if you wash your hands regularly, if you maintain cleaner hygiene, if your environment is also very clean, the chances of contracting cholera will be very reduced, and you will also save money when you don’t go to the hospital because of illness.
“So we want to call on all stakeholders, the government and the private sector to put hands on deck to ensure that we enlighten the populace about how cholera can be transmitted, how it can be prevented, and for those that are already infected to seek medical attention as quickly as possible.”
He urged the government, private sector, and all stakeholders to collaborate in educating the public on cholera transmission, prevention, and the need for swift medical attention for those already infected.
Speaking on projects implemented in the first quarter of the year in Lagos, Ezeanya said that the feedback gotten from stakeholders showed that the Foundation was on course about the targets. “For the first quarter of the implementation, we have been able to go beyond our targets by providing education to 8,184 students, surpassing the initial target of 5,850.”
“We have reached out to a total of 2,148 mothers at healthcare facilities, surpassing the goal of 1,920, and also engaged with 2,410 community members, exceeding the target of 1,692,” he stated.
