Schools & Communities in Sindh raise voice for proper Sanitation

Students and community residents of Sindh localities gathered to raise awareness about handwashing in their districts

Karachi/Hyderabad – 18 October, 2016: On the occasion of the Global Handwashing Day 2016, celebrated on 15 October worldwide, students and community residents of Gaddap Town, Karachi, and Peon Colony and Sehrish Nagar, Hyderabad, gathered to demonstrate the importance of handwashing through advocacy walks, interactive plays, and debates. USAID, UNICEF, and UN-Habitat supported the efforts of the advocators as part of their water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiative in Sindh province to promote this year’s theme – ‘make handwashing a habit’.

Gaddap Town in Karachi and Peon Colony and Sehrish Nagar in Hyderabad, Sindh are marked as polio endemic areas and therefore require immediate attention in regards to sanitation. In the midst of an unclean environment, it is critical to ensure that the residents maintain proper personal hygiene, especially washing hands with soap, to control diseases from spreading. Therefore, UNICEF and UN-Habitat gathered around 700 school students over a period of one week to advocate for handwashing through advocacy walks around the community, demonstration of proper handwashing, and interactive plays and dramas, and debates that highlight the consequences of not washing hands and the benefits from regularly washing hands with soap.

Ms. Bella Evidente, UN-Habitat Country Programme Manager, stated that “With the Sindh Government’s support and UNICEF’s funding, UN-Habitat worked in Gaddap Town, which is a hazardous area due to polio endemic, and Hyderabad to provide broader assistance to the Government of Pakistan by implementing an innovative approach through provision of improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Before UN-Habitat these communities were not using hygienic techniques, children barely washed their hands and were completely oblivious to the concept of hand washing with soap. Raising awareness regarding proper sanitation on Global Handwashing Day is a part of UN-Habitat’s continuous efforts to change lives and effectively accomplish SDG 11 in Pakistan through programmes and campaigns aimed at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”

Global handwashing day is an international advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. It is an opportunity to design, test, and replicate creative ways to encourage people to wash their hands with soap at critical times. This year’s theme claims that in order for handwashing to be effective, it must be practiced consistently at key times, such as after using the toilet or before contact with food. While habits must be developed over time, this theme emphasizes the importance of handwashing as a ritual behavior for long-term sustainability.

 

 

About UN-Habitat:

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat renewed its presence in Pakistan in late 2005 following the devastating earthquake in the north of the country and has since then been supporting the Government at all levels through its humanitarian and development work. At present, UN-Habitat is Chair of the WASH Working Group of Strategic Priority Area on Vulnerable and Marginalized populations have equitable access and use of quality services under the One UN Programme 2013-2017 and is actively represented in the Shelter, WASH and Community Restoration clusters in KP & FATA.

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