Tagged: soap

  • October 15, 2013

    Making handwashing with soap a habit in Zambia

    Written by
    Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, Knowledge Management and Communication Advisor, SPLASH, FHI 360
    Romakala Banda, Hygiene Behavior Change Technician, SPLASH, FHI 360

    The idea seems so simple. But, for millions of people across the globe, handwashing with soap and clean water is much easier said than done.

    In eastern Zambia, where we work, FHI 360 is improving access to clean water and sanitation facilities and encouraging healthy hygiene behaviors as part of the Schools Promoting Learning Achievement through Sanitation and Hygiene (SPLASH) project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

    The need is great. According to a baseline survey conducted by SPLASH in 2012, only 28 percent of 564 schools surveyed had any type of handwashing facility. To fulfill this unmet need, SPLASH is creating permanent handwashing stations in four districts of Zambia’s Eastern Province (Chadiza, Chipata, Lundazi and Mambwe). Since 2012, SPLASH has constructed 760 toilets and rehabilitated 128 others, and installed 40 hand pumps with 2,500 litre water tanks at schools in Chipata, Lundazi and Mambwe.

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  • October 15, 2013

    Simple, but lifesaving: Handwashing with soap

    Written by
    Hanna Woodburn, Communications Director, Global Public–Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW)

    Did you know that an everyday item in your home has the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children each year? Soap, when used at critical times such as after using the bathroom or before preparing food, can reduce the risk of diarrheal disease by nearly half and cut the risk of upper respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, by nearly a quarter. While these illnesses may seem like a normal part of childhood, they cause 1.7 million child deaths each year.

    Unlike many solutions to the world’s development challenges, handwashing with soap is simple. It does not require any special skills or equipment, and it is within the economic reach of communities everywhere. In fact, handwashing with soap is the most cost-effective intervention to prevent diarrheal disease. However, making handwashing with soap a habit remains a challenge around the world.

    Today, the world celebrates Global Handwashing Day, which is an opportunity to promote and advocate for handwashing with soap. As the Secretariat Coordinator of the Global Public–Private Partnership for Handwashing, FHI 360 plays a unique role in moving this agenda forward by linking clinical knowledge about behavior change and hygiene promotion to practitioners in the field. Increasing knowledge sharing and collaboration is a necessity if we hope to eradicate preventable childhood deaths.

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