Washing hands with soap is a basic part of a healthy school environment.
Good hygiene helps to ensure the health of children so they can attend classes and study. The availability of handwashing stations and menstrual sanitation facilities (including soap and water) also help girls manage their own hygiene. If girls are absent from school due to inadequate sanitation facilities during menstruation, their education will be interrupted, leading to reduced academic performance, delayed social development and reduced future income potential. Today, more than 398 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to an improved and reliable source of drinking water, and more than 600 million of them do not have access to basic sanitation services. Similarly, according to a report by UNICEF and WHO, 620 million children do not have decent toilets in schools, and about 900 million children do not have access to adequate sanitation services, including nearly half of the school soap.
The world has been hit by COVID-19 recently, and there is currently no cure. However, one of the key protective measures to slow or stop the spread of the virus is to wash hands with soap or use appropriate hand sanitizer. It is time to emphasize that adequate water, sanitation, and personal hygiene are important components of basic preventive health services, as they are the main drivers of public health. As the African Hygiene and Hygiene Champion, one of my missions is to work hard to improve hand and menstrual health, as well as hygiene and hygiene in Africa through cooperation with AMCOW. AMCOW has been working tirelessly to improve the African continent’s water and sanitation priorities. AMCOW recently coordinated the development of the African Health Policy Guidelines (ASPG), which provides the necessary guidance to enable African countries to develop WASH policies that provide the necessary foundation for improving access to health and health services for all.
with information from: https://guardian.ng/ama-press-releases/africas-future-is-at-hand-safe-access-to-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-is-needed-more-than-ever/
