Empowering New Generations to Improve Nutrition and Economic Opportunities (USAID/ENGINE) - An Integrated Nutrition Program

The event aimed to sensitize communities, sector offices, school children, and teachers about the benefits of hand washing during critical times, thereby increasing awareness to prevent communicable diseases. Community mobilization and promotion of hand washing were conducted by amateur and school students in the main roads of the town prior to the celebration day and during the celebration day. Hand washing promotion banners were posted on main corners of the town. The event featured opening remarks and keynote addresses by invited guests, including the zonal health and education department, school principal, woreda health office hygiene and sanitation officer, and ENGINE representative-coordinators. The speakers emphasized the importance of hand washing before preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, after cleaning the bottom of a child, before feeding and breastfeeding a child. The event also included entertainment by amateur cultural bands and school health clubs from the two woredas, who performed cultural music and a hand washing practice benefit anthem by school children. A drama was presented by the amateur band and school health club on the benefits and critical times of hand washing. Additionally, a poem and question-and-answer competition was held, with a total of 16 students participating. Female students won both competitions in both woredas. A hand washing demonstration was conducted by zonal and woreda health office officers and re-demonstrated by community participants and students. The event concluded with the distribution of soaps and leaflets to students and invited guests, including representatives of most vulnerable households. A total of 789 male and 828 female students, 43 male and 61 female teachers, and 24 male and 3 female health officers participated in the event. Materials distributed for the event included T-shirts, capes, banners, leaflets, hand wash jars, soap, and dictionaries for prize winners. The ENGINE project's efforts to promote hand washing practices among school children and communities in South Achefer and Takusa woredas aim to reduce the incidence of diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries. By promoting hand washing habits, the project seeks to contribute to the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds.