Katsina – No fewer than 73,000 primary school pupils in Katsina State have been targeted for “hand washing campaign’’ under the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme funded by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Alhaji Aminu Dayyabu Safana, the Executive Director, Katsina State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), disclosed this to newsmen on Friday in Katsina.
He said that the campaign was part of activities to mark the 2016 Global Hand Washing Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that “Make Hand Washing a Habit’’ has been selected as the theme for this year.
Safana said that the pupils were from 246 primary schools in the 11 local government areas of the state participating in WASH programme.
He revealed that the local governments were Bakori, Faskari, Dutsin-ma, Safana, Batagarawa, Kaita, Ingawa,Musawa, Matazu, Sandamu and Mai’adua.
He said that water and sanitation facilities had already been provided to the schools for demonstration to the pupils.
According to him, the campaign is aimed at inculcating hand washing habit among children at their tender age.
“We want hygiene to be the habit of our children, because they are the change agents,’’ he said.
He explained that would assist to prevent the children from water-borne and other communicable diseases.
“The intervention will also assist to keep the children in schools,’’ he said.
He explained that they had provided water and sanitation facilities to a number of communities, schools and healthcare centres across the 11 local government areas.
Safana also urged women to always clean their hands before breast feeding their babies to protect them from such diseases.
He further enjoined residents to maintain clean environment and wash their hands after using toilet facilities as part of measures to prevent diseases outbreak.
