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The state of hand hygiene is alarming in South Africa, with 47% of South Africans not having basic hand-washing facilities, and 66% failing to wash their hands with soap.
To create awareness around the issue, non-profit Save our Schools (SOS) got their hands dirty for Global Handwashing Day last week.
The organisation visited two vulnerable communities in Kraaifontein – Lofdal Park on Thursday and Cavalleria Primary School on Friday.
Here they launched a community centred activation to make hand washing a healthy habit among South African youth.
Some 200 residents and 100 children from the informal settlements in Bloekombos received hand-hygiene packs, and on Friday the little ones in Grade R at Cavalleria inspired by their inquisitive nature, took part in interactive mud search and hand painting activities.
CEO of SOS Shelley Humphreys says, “We have been focussing on improving hand-washing within the Kraaifontein area for the last four and a half years, where lack of access to hygiene facilities and poor hand washing habits are a reality for many children and communities, affecting their health and well-being. It’s vital that non-profits, government and the private sector work together to overcome the challenges within this sector.”
Representatives from the City of Cape Town’s health department joined in with an educational puppet show and a hand-washing demonstration for the learners.
“Washing hands properly, with soap and water, is acknowledged as one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs, and this was re-emphasised during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s imperative that we hold onto those hand hygiene habits that became more commonplace over the past two years, to protect ourselves and our loved ones from other health risks,” said Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross.
“In order to be better prepared for any future increases in infectious diseases, the practice of hand hygiene must become an essential part of daily life for all Capetonians. This is especially important in the most vulnerable communities where increased risk from diseases exist due to environmental conditions.”
Health portfolio committee chair Ronel Viljoen adds that hand-washing becomes even more critical with the warmer months ahead, which are generally associated with an increase in gastro-enteritis or the stomach flu.
“We encourage everyone to heed the call by the United Nations, and to wash their hands during critical points of the day at least for 20 seconds, as it is a proven affordable way to prevent spread of diseases,” she said.
Brands such as Lush, LifeBuoy, DisChem and Mountain Falls all contributed to the cause, with PepsiCo Foundation taking the lead as the headline sponsor of the campaign.
Devendri Adari, the foundation lead for Sub-Saharan Africa, explains,
“Globally we focus our support on water distribution, purification and conservation programmes.
“We’re thrilled to build upon our partnership with SOS NPO to highlight the importance of hand washing and to help communities gain safe access to water,” he says.
