Friday, June 14, 2013

Al-Shahid Saeed Haidar School adopts better hygiene practices



With the support of UNICEF, Save the Children was successfully able to implement a WASH project in sin Lahj. The project which started in February 2012, includes activities such as distributing WASH hygiene supplies (consumable kits and tools, plumping materials) and also conducting hygiene promotion activities (awareness sessions, trainings, cleaning campaigns).

Omar Fathi is a 13 year old 8th grader in Al-Shahid Saeed Haidar School. He told us how the project started in his school and what his role in it was: “When the program started in my school, a committee came and asked that one student in each class gets chosen to be trained on hygiene care so that he can teach his peers. I was nominated in my class and we now have sessions in which I explain about hygiene and diarrhea and conduct activities to teach the other students how to take more care of their hygiene, wash their hands, cut their nails, etc. We also make a schedule for cleaning the school; everyday a group of students from one classroom will go out and clean the whole school.”





Omar Fathi explaining good hygiene practices to his fellow peers.








The Al-Shahid Saeed Haidar School was not in a good condition before the intervention of the WASH project. It had lack of supplies and was not cleaned constantly. Naseem Mohammed Saleh, a 31 year old volunteer for Save the Children expressed that the project has a great impact on the school and that the students have reacted very well towards it and accepted it greatly. She continued to say: “The school had lack of supplies and was not able to afford all necessary equipment for cleaning. Save the Children has provided us with everything needed, sweepers, soaps. The school was very dirty but now even when I enter the toilets, they’re very clean. The school management is very cooperative and so are the students. Since there are no janitors, the school principle and I would sometimes go clean the toilets ourselves but soon find ourselves surrounded by students who are helping us clean as well.”



Naseem Mohammed with a group of students who are performing a play about hygiene which is one of the activities of the project







Naseem also told us about the approach she takes to get the students excited about cleaning the school: “When I conduct awareness sessions in this school, I don’t force students to go out and clean. I leave it up to them to choose whether or not to help in cleaning. I think that motivated them more to help and keep their classrooms and toilets clean. We conduct awareness sessions and activities everyday in the school. To be honest I am astonished at how well the students have accepted this program and worked on it. I didn’t expect this reaction at all and I hope it will continue to be this way."

Written by: Alaa Al-Eryani
Photos by: Alaa Al-Eryani


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