A new handwashing facility has been introduced to encourage and improve proper hand hygiene habit among school children to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Teckytap handwashing facility designed and manufactured with local aluminum materials enable users to wash hands by using the leg instead of the hand to press open the tap for the water to flow .
Teckytap is envisaged to minimize formite transmission of diseases which characterizes other handwashing facilities which required users to use same contaminated hands to open the taps.
Ninety(90) of the new hand-washing devices have been distributed to some selected schools in the Agona East District of the Central Region as part of the observation of Global Hand-washing Day held worldwide on October 11.
The new hand-washing facilities were procured and distributed under the Integrated Community Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (ICWASH) project sponsored by Coco-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana ,implementing in some selected rural Communities in Ghana through the provision of clean drinking water and improved Sanitation and hygiene.
The $425,000 ICWASH project is benefiting about 18,000 people in Water Sanitation and Hygiene related activities in 18 communities in three districts in Eastern, Central, and Volta regions of Ghana with target of significantly improving community health at the end of its implementation on February 28,2020
Speaking at the event held at Oboano, Project Manager at Plan International Ghana, William Domapielle underscored the importance of proper handwashing stressing it is the effective and affordable way of disease prevention .
According to him, the human palm is the richest habitat for human microbial accommodation and since the hand is in constant contact with fomites,it is the easiest way of getting infections if one fails to practice good hand hygiene.
Nana Amo Mensah VII,Odikro of Aboano said,the Communities in the area are now conscious of sanitation and hygiene practices therefore the new handwashing facilities distributed would encourage and imbibe in children the habit of frequent handwashing.
The theme for Global Handwashing Day 2019 “Clean Hands for All,” reinforcing inclusiveness in addressing handwashing disparities. This year’s theme follows the push to leave no one behind in the Sustainable Development agenda.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
