World Handwashing Day: NGOs set to tackle Covid-19, Cholera In Ogun

ABEOKUTA - Three organizations in Ogun State have finalized plans to commemorate the 2021 World Handwashing Day with a series of activities to raise awareness and support local communities.

The Standard Bearers, The Patriots, and Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation are collaborating to expand the scope of the outreach program organized yearly by The Standard Bearers for over a decade now.

October 15 is a global 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.

The three non-for-profits organizations have their area of interests in promoting Health, Safety and Hygiene, empowerment, and building human capacity among the populace.

According to a statement by the President of The Standard Bearers, Mr Jamiu Folarin, the Global Handwashing Day is an international handwashing promotion campaign to motivate and mobilize people around the world to improve their handwashing habits.

"It is dedicated to advocating for handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. Washing hands at critical points when we are battling with the pandemic of Covid-19 and also the ugly scourge of Cholera cannot be over emphasized."

 

Global Handwashing Day occurs on 15 October of each year and this year’s theme is “Our Future is at Hand- Let’s Move Forward Together”

"It is in view of the foregoing that the three organizations are setting out to promote handwashing in order prevent diseases spread through creating awareness for handwashing (appropriate technique) and donating basic hand washing tools to communities particularly major markets."

“We are collaborating with the Ogun State Ministry of Health, the State Marketing Board, officials of Oba Lipede Market, Kuto, Abeokuta, and market men and women to get the awareness to a large and heterogeneous audience.”

The founder of Shield of Hope Initiative, Dr Sarat Adebayo and other officials of the Ministry of Health will deliver a lecture at the event.

The event scheduled to be held at the Oba Lipede Market on Saturday 16th October, 2021 will feature a lecture on hygiene practices, demonstration of handwashing with soap and donations of basic hand washing equipment which include Veronica buckets, stands and liquid wash.

Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, Ogun state through her State Coordinator, Alhaji AbdurRahman Kewulere Anifowose said the collaboration is part of the organisation's social responsibilities and efforts to support the government against the spread of pandemic in the country.

In a similar vein, Mr Semiu Adesanya, the President of The Patriots, Abeokuta, enjoined all and sundry to take advantage of this occasion by embracing the culture of hand washing. This is the easiest and cheapest way to reduce cases of Covid 19 and other dreadful diseases in our society.