Zoomlion Foundation, partners mark Global Handwashing Day
Zoomlion Foundation, the corporate social responsibility wing of the Jospong Group of Companies, has, in conjunction with its partners, including the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), commemorated Global Handwashing Day at Adjei Kojo in the Ashaiman Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
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The foundation runs environmental sanitation clubs in schools and hundreds of schoolchildren, who are members of the clubs, participated in the occasion.
The event, held last Friday on the theme, “Our Hands Our Future”, saw members of the sanitation clubs displaying placards that carried messages on handwashing and its benefits.
School activities had always occupied central position in the celebration of the day.
Global Handwashing Day, which is an annual global advocacy day, is dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
Handwashing with soap is essential to child survival, minimises gastrointestinal diseases and reduces government spending on health care.
Spread messages
Addressing the gathering, the Extension Services Coordinator of CWSA , Mrs Theodora Adomako-Adjei, stressed the need for all to join in spreading the message about handwashing with soap and demonstrate the value of clean hands.
She said the CWSA had since 2001 provided the anchor for public-private partnership for handwashing with soap.
Emphasising the importance of handwashing with soap, Mrs Adomako-Adjei said, “ Handwashing with soap is included in the Sustainable Development Goals Target 6.2 for sanitation and hygiene.”
She added: “By adding a crucial handwashing component to existing and ongoing sanitation activities, the crucial health benefits to achieve SDG 6 can be realised.”
Collaboration
In a solidarity message from Zoomlion Foundation, which was read by the programmes officer, Mr Thomas Narh Korley, the foundation underscored the need for collaboration among state agencies, private sector, and education institutions to spread awareness messages on handwashing with soap.
“When done, this will expand access to handwashing equipment, clean water and soap, to encourage participation,” he said
For that reason, he said, Zoomlion Foundation, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, had established Sanitation Clubs in over 400 schools in Ghana.
The clubs called Zoomkids in basic schools and Zoom Ambassadors in senior high schools create awareness of sanitation in these schools.
Importance
In a welcome address, the headmaster of Adjei Kojo Government School, Mr Kofi Mensah, said it was regrettable that many people tended to overlook the importance of the observation of the day.
He expressed delight that the Adjei Kojo Government School was chosen for the celebration, saying it would boost the school’s sanitation activities.
He appealed for a borehole in the school to replace a broken one.