Hygiene facility brings relief to Abubakar and other members of Kandahar community
Kandahar Primary Healthcare Centre is located in Kandahar community, Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State. The healthcare centre serves as the primary location offering antenatal and postnatal services to pregnant and nursing mothers in the community, and from neighbouring communities. The healthcare centre had a handwashing station before WaterAid’s intervention, but it was not enough to cater to the hygiene needs of the healthcare workers and clients who accessed the centre daily.
Under the Heineken Africa Foundation-funded Scale-Up Hygiene project, an inclusive handwashing facility was installed at the entrance of the healthcare centre to encourage the practice of good hygiene; and contribute to reducing the spread of infectious diseases in the community. Hygiene cues were also placed at strategic points in the healthcare centre to serve as reminders for people to practise good hygiene.
Abdullahi Abubakar, 40, is a laboratory scientist in Kandahar Primary Healthcare Centre. The excited father of two children expressed his appreciation and satisfaction with the installed handwashing facility and the impact it has had on the community.
Abdullahi Abubakar, 40, is a laboratory scientist in Kandahar Primary Healthcare Centre.
“I got to know about the COVID-19 pandemic through the media. Initially, I didn’t take the recommended hygiene behaviours seriously until some of my colleagues got infected with the coronavirus. Now, I constantly wash my hands, use face masks and practise social distancing to protect myself from the virus.
“As a laboratory scientist, I am very vulnerable to infectious diseases. Although we had a handwashing station at the healthcare centre before the WaterAid intervention, it was not enough to cater to the needs of our clients. The new handwashing facility installed by WaterAid is better and easier to use. I feel safer and relieved that we have this handwashing facility, and I have become a model in my community for handwashing. The handwashing facility has also motivated children in the community to wash their hands regularly.
“I am very happy to see that clients find it easy to use the newly installed handwashing facility, and have imbibed the practice of handwashing. They have also taught their children the importance of frequent handwashing. As a result of these changes in hygiene behaviour and particularly an increase in the practice of handwashing, we are beginning to record fewer cases of cholera in the community."
