To mark this year’s Global Handwashing World day, Dettol, a leading disinfection and hygiene solutions provider, has launched a handwashing campaign targeting over 10,000 school-going children in Nairobi’s slums.
This action not only reinforces the 2023 Global Handwashing Day theme that ”Clean Hands Are Within Reach,” but also emphasizes the brand’s commitment to help healthier communities.
The month long campaign will extend crucial support to five schools located in Nairobi’s Kibra and Mathare slums.
This will entail the provision of essential water tanks and state-of-the-art handwashing stations, along with essential hygiene education within these schools ensuring that clean hands are truly within reach for these deserving children.
Speaking during the launch Asif Hashimi, Country Manager for Reckitt Kenya said, ”This campaign underscores Dettol’s unwavering commitment to promoting hand hygiene education throughout the country. Our dedication extends to driving access to quality hygiene products designed to protect against illnesses causing germs, all with the ultimate goal of helping Kenyans maintain personal hygiene and create a safe and healthy environment for all.”
Also Read: 1,000 Smallholder Maize Farmers in Embu County Set to Access Digital Loans
Additionally, Kibera Primary Head Teacher Samuel Onyango noted that Dettol in conjuction with Shofco has helped the school in providing water, detergents, soaps and water points.
The headteacher added that this initiative will be helpful to change the environment of the school, towards being hygienic and sanitary.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), two out of every five schools worldwide lack essential handwashing facilities, thus exposing students to a multitude of diseases.
Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unclean hands are the main mode of illness transmission in approximately 80 percent of cases, and bringing it home, the 2023 Kenya Economic Survey shows that in 2022, healthcare facilities reported four million cases of diarrheal diseases, with the majority of these cases affecting children.
To maximize the impact and ensure the success of this campaign, Dettol has partnered with Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a local advocacy organization that serves the needs of over 350,000 urban slum residents across ten different slum communities in three major cities in Kenya.
This partnership will ensure that the necessary hygienic facilities, along with hygiene education, are provided to school-going children in Nairobi’s slums.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel Switch TV
Dettol is committed to educate and empower communities to embrace the practice of regular handwashing as a simple, yet highly effective means of safeguarding their health.
