Real lives

Real lives

 

School hygiene clubs spread the word on improved hygiene and sanitation in South Kordofan

© UNICEF Sudan/2006/Lorena Carrillo

Khadija, a student at Kagar-Al-Mak Girls School in the Sudanese Nuba Mountains demonstrates the importance of handwashing, as part of a UNICEF-supported School Hygiene Club

By Lorena Carrillo, UNICEF Communication Officer

Kagar-Al-Mak, Nuba Mountains, 30 September 2006.  The girl members of the School Hygiene Club at Kagar-Al-Mak Girls School in the Nuba Mountains in the north of Sudan are busy; they are producing drama and songs with key messages on hygiene and sanitation that they plan to perform next week for about 600 other school friends and teachers in order to promote good hygiene practices.

“We received new information about how to protect ourselves against cholera and diarrhoeal disease, so now we are focusing on producing drama and songs on these topics,” says 16 year old Besamat.

The Schools Hygiene Clubs are key elements of the school structure, composed of 20 students, boys and girls, aged from 10 to 16 years old. They are in charge of looking after the water and sanitation facilities and for spreading messages amongst their peers.

“Since the establishment of the School Hygiene Club the school looks clean and healthy,” says 14 year old Asha.

“We are always checking the small girls at the school; if we see them not washing their hands after using the latrines, we speak to them and wash our hands together,” says another club member, 12 year old Nafisa.

Her friend Layla adds “We need to look after the latrines and hand pumps, keep them clean and working, and teach our friends about how to use them properly”.

Abrahaman Mohamed, the school director, congratulates the students for their efforts, saying “This is a very good group, they are the leaders of the school, always moving around to improve things.”

“This is a very good group, they are the leaders of the school, always moving around to improve things.”“We are responsible for keeping this working,” says Ali Mohamed, the main supervisor of the School Hygiene Club. “The girls are taking this seriously, they are also spreading the messages within their families and neighbours in their communities.
 
In 2005, UNICEF and its partner helped to establish 16 new School Hygiene Clubs in the state of South Kordofan. So far in 2006, another ten have been established across the state; nine school latrines have been built, increasing access to sanitation for 3,600 children while three hand pumps have been drilled and installed at schools in South Kordofan to provide safe drinking water for 5, 200 pupils.

On a broader level, in partnership with the government and the community members, 42 500 more people have been given access to safe drinking water in the state this year, with another 2,000 provided with access to improved sanitary means of excreta disposal.

Read more about UNICEF's work to improve water, sanitation and hygiene.