RUWASSA, WaterAid intensify campaign on safe hygiene practice

By Stanley Onyekwere

In a bid to strengthen implementation of hygiene behaviour change among FCT communities, the WaterAid Nigeria in collaboration with FCT Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Directorate otherwise as RUWASSA organized a capacity building workshop for personnel in sanitation sector to promote cleanliness and foster change of attitude in households and individuals for safe hygiene practice.
Addressing participants at Bwari during the workshop session under the theme “Hygiene Behavioural Change”, the Executive Director of FCT RUWASSA, Dr. Mohammed Ali Dan-hassan urged them to take the training seriously as it helps a lot in achieving the targets and goals of the mission in communities.
Dr. Dan-hassan noted that the framework of the policy is key in the Implementation and advise them to apply techniques provided to achieve the hygiene Behavioural goals.
Dan-hassan noted that the policy framework is very important at various levels, from community up to state and Non Governmental Organizations, who as development partners provide the enabling environment for this kind of training, he said. According to him community mobilization is equally important in this regard to ensure adequate participation, promotion and marketing of good hygiene practice.
In her remarks, representative of WaterAid Nigeria, Mrs. Namban Michael said the workshop was one of the latest approach adopted to support communities lagging behind at grassroot levels as far as hygiene promotion is concerned.
She said WaterAid had implemented this in Lagos and Bauchi and recorded a great success.
She therefore urged the participants to use the techniques of using the right people to drive the behaviour change.
The 4-day workshop has, as it’s specific objective, understanding the behavioral change in different communities; make individual behaviour change towards hygiene, runs under the *Clean Family* campaign.
Participants drawn from six Area Councils, FCT Department of Public Health, Primary Healthcare Board and RUWASSA focused on the
Four key hygiene behaviours which form basis of the campaign, this include washing hands with soap,use of clean toilet, water storage and use of safe water, and food hygiene.