Tamale, Oct. 15, GNA – Afram Plains Development Organisation (APDO), an NGO, has sensitised leaders, drivers, commuters, food vendors amongst other actors at the Sankpala Lorry Station in Tamale on the need to regularly practise handwashing with soap under running water.
APDO has also created awareness amongst the actors on the benefits of practising proper handwashing with soap under running water in public and places of work to protect them from water-borne diseases including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sensitiation, which was held at the lorry station on Friday, formed part of APDO’s activities to commemorate this year’s Global Handwashing Day on the theme: “Our Future is at hand, let’s move together”.
As part of the sensitisation, APDO showcased its strong, durable, mobile and user-friendly metallic tippy taps to the public to encourage them to acquire handwashing devices to always practise hand hygiene.
Mr Abdul-Rahman Suleyman, Project Officer at APDO, who spoke during the event at the lorry station in Tamale, said a chunk of diseases reported to health facilities in the country were attributable to poor sanitation practices, hence, the sensitisation.
Global Handwashing Day, commemorated on October 15, is an annual global advocacy day dedicated to promoting handwashing with soap under running water as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
The Day was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership, and it is an opportunity to design, test, and replicate creative ways to encourage people to wash their hands with soap at critical times.
Over the years, APDO commemorated the Global Handwashing Day with communities, schools and health care facilities.
Mr Suleyman expressed the need for all to consciously promote regular handwashing with soap under running water everywhere, emphasising the need for nursing mothers to religiously wash their hands with soap to avoid transmitting diseases to their babies, which could cause their deaths.
Mr Alhassan Neindow, Chairman of the drivers at the Sankpala Lorry Station urged all actors at the station to take handwashing with soap seriously and observe it before and after each activity to protect them from contracting diseases.
Mr Neindow said the leadership of the station would organise a meeting for all actors at the station to impress on them the need to uphold hygiene and sanitation as well as place handwashing devices at vantage points at the station to encourage handwashing with soap at all times.
Madam Rashida Fuseini, a Food Vendor at the Sankpala Lorry Station encouraged other food vendors and cooks to always wash their hands with soap before cooking to sell, and the need for buyers to also wash their hands before eating food.
Mr Majeed Mohammed Awal, Tamale Metropolitan Environmental Health Officer lauded the commitment by the leadership of the station to establish handwashing stations at the park saying, this would promote regular handwashing to protect them from diseases.
GNA