Chinedum Treasure
Establishing Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) club in schools can help prevent disease outbreaks and improve public health outcomes, Health Policy Research Group (HPRG) has said.
Principal investigator, HPRG and WASH Project, Dr Uche Ezenwaka said this at the inauguration of WASH club in public schools at Okpoko community, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state.
The WASH project was implemented by HPRG of the University of Nigeria in collaboration with Anambra State Ministry of Health and Chorus Research on Urban Health.
Ezenwaka said the WASH club would raise lifelong advocates and ambassadors for good hygiene practices in the families and communities, creating a ripple effect of positive change in Okpoko.
She said a study conducted in 2024 in Okpoko community, the worst slum in the Southeast, revealed significant gaps in the adoption of safe WASH practices.
According to her, findings showed alarming rates of diarrhea and other waterborne diseases due to open dedication, indiscriminate refuse dumping, dirty water and environment.
“We recognised urban slums as major contributors to the challenges of WASH. This was why we started carrying out intervention such as training sanitation officers, teachers and community leaders.
“We had awareness campaign and set up public borehole safeguarding, maintenance and protection committee to protect public boreholes from vandalisation, safeguard water quality and reduce health risks.
“Today, we are inaugurating WASH club in schools to catch them young. Students will learn proper hand washing techniques, personal and environmental hygiene.
“Instilling these healthy habits early, can create a ripple effect, leading to healthier students, communities as well as a decline in preventable diseases,” she said.
Ezenwaka urged the teachers and students to utilise the knowledge to protect their health and serve as hygiene ambassadors in their households and neighborhoods.
Also speaking, Mrs Chidinma Nwankwo, representing the Post Primary School Service Commission in Anambra State, announced that the WASH club would be made mandatory in schools across the state.
She appreciated HPRG for its initiatives focused on promoting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and address public health challenges in Okpoko community.
“This initiative aligns with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision for urban renewal and a healthier, greener Anambra,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the teachers, Mrs Goodness Iyiegbu of Faith Model Schools, Okpoko, emphasised their commitment to prioritising safe WASH practices in their schools to foster a healthy learning environment.
“We believe that promoting better hygiene practices will reduce absenteeism caused by illnesses, allowing our students to attend school regularly,” she said.
Schools that were represented are Unity Comprehensive High School, Okpoko, Faith Model Schools, St. Michael Model Schools and Assemblies of God Schools, Okpoko.
WASH materials such as buckets for hand washing stations, detergents, liquid soaps fliers and signboards for awareness on Safe WASH practices were distributed to schools.
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