Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Campaign
WASH is the basis for healthy living. NESFAS strives to enhance cleanliness in food preparation, food handling including components of water, sanitation and personal hygiene.
According to UNICEF, over 800 children under age five die every day from preventable diarrhoea-related diseases caused by lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Undernutrition is associated with repeated diarrhoea or intestinal worm infections as a direct result of inadequate WASH conditions. A vicious cycle exists between diarrhoea and undernutrition, especially for children.
Good personal and community hygiene is the cheapest way to make a big impact on the health of a family and a village. Hygiene is one of the least expensive, most cost-effective changes that can be made with immediate rewards in quality of life.
One approach that NESFAS has adopted for WASH has been through schools; making schools the fulcrum where WASH is implemented at all levels i.e. students, school building including toilets & mid day meals including food handling and hand washing.
Collaboration with Youth and Village Councils to implement community oriented initiatives like maintenance of water sources, drains, waste segregation and personal hygiene.
Global Hand Washing Day:
October 15 is celebrated as the Global Handwashing Day, 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. This year NESFAS has reached its stakeholders through social media and messages in the urban and rural areas with the message ‘Clean hands prevents diseases’ in local language Khasi and Garo and English. It urged its stakeholders to spread the message to its family and community members. A community event reiterating the importance of Hand wash is being conducted in Darebokgre, West Garo Hills District. However, as part of the ongoing WASH campaign, handwashing has always been stressed upon at all events.
Check out some of the photographs from our fieldworks:
