By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Technical Specialist at the World Vision (WV) Ghana, Mr. Yaw Atta Arhin has called on stakeholders to sustain hand washing campaigns throughout the year.
According to him, human hands, especially those of children easily get contaminated due to frequent contact and therefore need regular hand washing to clean germs to ensure that whatever goes into our systems is not contaminated.
“That is why for us in WV Ghana, hand washing is so important that we prioritize it. Our vision for every child is that there would be life in all fullness. To be able to have life in all fullness for every child, we need to ensure that anything that will cause illnesses in children is prevented.
Our commitment is to ensure access to safe drinking water, and increase sanitation and hygiene,” he stressed.
Mr. Atta Arhin made the call in an interview with GBCGHANAONLINE’s Franklin ASARE-DONKOH on the sidelines of a day’s handwashing demonstration event put together by World Vision Ghana, in partnership with Carex, and 3FM in commemoration of the 2023 Global Handwashing Day.
The event, which was held at the Nima Cluster of Schools in Accra, was on the theme; “Clean hands are within reach.”
The initiative according to the WASH Technical Specialist at WV Ghana is to ensure that every child understands the importance of handwashing. When children know why they should wash their hands and the proper technique for handwashing, they are able to teach their peers and even their families.
Hand washing Mr. Atta Arhin indicated, is the easiest, safest, and most cost-effective way to prevent diseases and to keep one alive.
He explained further that handwashing promotion and practices at World Vision Ghana is not just limited to the Global celebration day but, it is a daily occurrence.
Pointing out that in all the places where Word Vision Ghana is in operation, they have been invested very heavily in water, sanitation, and hygiene. “World Vision Ghana is investing in water, sanitation, and hygiene in other to get children out of preventable diseases. So, even after today’s celebration, we will continue to provide access to safe water for children and their families wherever they are.
We will continue to invest to improve sanitation, ending open dedication and ensuring that, households, schools, and healthcare facilities have access to comprehensive WASH and handwashing facilities so that, they can continue to wash the germs out of their hands and continue to stay healthy and continue to stay alive,” he noted.
Mr. Atta Arhin pointed out that when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in Ghana and the world in general, everybody from the top policymakers to community members, invested heavily in hand washing and hand washing facilities.
But it appears that because the COVID-19 pandemic is no more, we have relaxed and you go to many places, people don’t have hand washing facilities even where they have, people don’t wash their hands because they say, there is no more COVID. He explained.
Mr. Atta Arhin averred that handwashing is not just to prevent COVID-19 but it also prevents several diseases. He thus encourages everybody everywhere to wash their hands regularly.
Ghana Education Service, according to the WASH Technical Specialist has to invest in school health education programmes and encourage the children to become agents of change.