Small investment, big rewards: Hand Hygiene for All Roadmap
04/11/22: Happening Now
The "Hand Hygiene For All (HH4A)" costed roadmap high-level advocacy and the launch of the "H-Handwashing" Initiative, as well as the "National Personal Hygiene Protocol for the School Feeding Program" workshop, are being held at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa.
The primary objectives of today's high-level advocacy event are to launch hygiene documents, hold a dialogue on hand hygiene policy issues and strategies, and engage and enable all actors and local communities to fully implement these documents in order to achieve and contribute to SDG achievement.
This high-level advocacy workshop on hand hygiene was attended by H.E Dr. Dereje Duguma, State Minister of MoH, and H.E Dr. Fanta Mandefro, State Minister of MoE, Yaekob Metena, WaterAid Ethiopia Country Director, UN representatives, development partners, civil society organizations, NGOs, public and private sector, professionals, and media.
According to JMP and OWNP reports, an estimated 2.3 billion people worldwide are at risk of contracting infectious diseases simply because they lack handwashing facilities at home, and 1.8 billion people are at risk of illness because they use or work in a healthcare facility that lacks basic water services. It is estimated that 92% of the population, 42% of health care facilities, 85% of primary schools, and 75% of secondary schools in Ethiopia lack access to a basic hand washing facility with a water supply and soap.
Ethiopia recognizes WASH, specifically hand hygiene, as not only an economic and social necessity, but also as a basic human right to safe, equitable, and affordable clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services. According to the constitution, everyone has the right to live in a clean and healthy environment, and policies should aim to provide all Ethiopians with access to public health and education, clean water, housing, food, and social security to the extent that the country's resources allow.
Providing for the people of Ethiopia's hand hygiene needs cannot be accomplished solely through the government's resources and capacity. In this case, the role of development partners, private sectors, and civil society organizations is critical and valid. This year's Global Handwashing Day 2022 was held on October 15th, with the theme "Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene," and Ethiopia presented the National Hand Hygiene for all costed roadmap. It is time to accelerate hand hygiene progress, which will necessitate a collaborative effort to achieve lasting change.
Yaekob Metena, WaterAid Ethiopia country director, delivered the keynote speech at the workshop, emphasizing the importance of hand hygiene in improving health, saving lives by preventing infections, and ensuring the overall social and economic development of a society. He stated, 'As members of CSOs in the country, we appreciate the Government's political will and cross-sectoral coordination to advance water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Meeting the people of Ethiopia's hand hygiene needs cannot be accomplished solely by the government. The role of development partners, the private sector, and civil society organizations is critical.'
'WaterAid Ethiopia urges all HH4A Roadmap stakeholders to join forces and invest in hand hygiene to improve health, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and protect communities from future health crises. This will undoubtedly help in the fight against poverty. We believe that changing the culture of hand hygiene is possible,' he added.
Together, we can make WASH accessible to everyone, everywhere.