A Programmes Officer at the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), Emily Hammond has called on traders, especially Head Potters also known as ‘Kayayes’ to adopt the habit of regular and proper hand washing with soap under running water.
This she said, will help them to avoid contracting any disease and virus in their daily work.
Madam Hammond made the call at a sensitization programme organised by CONIWAS in collaboration with HFFG with funding from the Roddenberry Foundation for traders, and Kayayes, at the Madina Market in the Greater Accra Region.
The programme was part of planned activities marking this year’s Global Hand Washing Day celebration which was under the theme: “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene”.
Global hand washing day is an international hand washing promotion campaign aimed at motivating and mobilizing people around the world to improve their hand washing habits.
The sensitization programme was to create awareness as well as enlighten traders and especially kayayes on the importance of regular and proper hand washing with soap under running water.
According to the Programmes Officer at CONIWAS, most traders feel lazy to wash their hands with soap under running after handling money from different customers.
She explained that most diseases and viruses can easily be transferred through handling of money and goods, hence the need to practice regular and proper hand washing.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Health Director for La-Nkwantanang-Madina Health Directorate, Dr. Priscilla Anima Poku, in her address also advised the traders and Kayayes to always remember to practice the five-hand washing golden rules; i.e. wash your hands with soap after visiting the toilet, wash your hands with soap before eating, wash your hands with soap before preparing a meal, wash your hands with soap after meals and wash your hands with soap after urinating.
The practice of these five critical times of hand washing, the Municipal Health Director for La-Nkwantanang-Madina Health Directorate explained, is ideal to prevent any disease and virus which are transmitted through the hands.
“We can all attest to how hand washing with soap under running water is the only effective tool to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases” she reiterated.
Dr. Anima Poku is therefore urging the public to continue observing all the COVID 19 protocols, especially hand washing with soap under running water, as the country has started recording new cases of the pandemic.