Role of WASH in response to Coronavirus
Dar es Salaam. Decline in Covid-19 cases has caused Tanzanians to forget most important health precautionary measures including washing hands and social distancing, says World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO reports that Tanzania recorded 38,712 Covid-19 cases and 841 deaths between January 3, 2020 and August 3, 2022.
Furthermore, the global body says in a report that as of August 20, 2022, a total of 22.082 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered.
But, in intensifying the fight against the killer disease non-governmental organizations have been executing the community awareness and livelihood support project dubbed: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).
The project is implemented by My Legacy in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Tanzania (HFHT) under the support of the Foster Foundation.
My Legacy founder, Ms Fortunata Temu told The Citizen that the project’s objective is to support poor communities living in highly congested areas to enhance hygiene practices by accessing essential materials such as running water, soaps and sanitizers.
“The project that is implemented in Kinondoni District has reached about 34,360 people including students, teachers and other community members,” she said.
The project targets to promote and enhance the well being of children and their families as well as securing school environments to protect children from diseases including Covid-19, according to her.
Furthermore, she said 100 hand-washing spots have been installed and supplied with water tanks, noting that over 6,000 litres of sanitizers and 4,000 litres of liquid soaps have been provided to schools, public offices, markets, healthcare centres and Local Government Authority (LGA) offices.
A teacher from Ukwamani secondary school located in Kawe, Peter Chacha said provision of hygiene materials simplified Covid-19 sensitisation among students.
