Touched by the increasing reports of poor environmental hygiene in the state, a community-based women group, Obige Obukpa Widows Care Foundation, OOWCF, has taken campaign against open defecation to market places, streets and schools while enlightening members and other members of the public on the importance of environmental sanitation and personal hygiene.
The widows’ group members who turned out in their hundred equally took the campaign against open defecation to local markets in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, streets and schools enumerated the needs for good personal hygiene to include, healthy living among others.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the OOWCF programmes are done in collaboration with WACOL, Enugu State, and in partnership with Action Aid, Nigeria, under the Women’s Voice Leadership Project. It equally enjoys the sponsorship of the Global Affairs, Canada.
While explaining the importance of environmental sanitation and personal hygiene to the over 100 participants, a health educationist, Anastasia Omeke, said that “environmental sanitation is the act of creating and maintaining a conducive atmosphere and conditions in the environment to promote good health and prevent diseases.”
According to her, the environment contains elements which are essential for life and for the maintenance of good health, adding that it also contains potential hazards which can make life very difficult and uncomfortable.
She equally listed components of environmental sanitation to include: provision of safe and adequate water, proper disposal of wastes, good housing, food hygiene among others.
She said that the goal of environmental sanitation was to provide an environment that is free from avoidable health hazards, communicable and non communicable diseases, food and water contamination and environmental degradation.
She equally enjoined the women to maintain good personal hygiene through proper washing of the body and cloths, regular brushing of teeth and proper cleaning of anus after defecation among others.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Lolo Eucharia Eze, while briefing newsmen on the activities of the Foundation, said that its major preoccupation was to alleviate poverty among widows and to create awareness on their political as well as right of inheritance.
She explained that many widows have received a lot of empowerment and seed money to start vocations they were trained on.
Some of the participants, including Angela Ngozika, and Monica Ugwuoke, told WITHIN NIGERIA that the enlightenment programme has served as a guide for them on how to promote healthy living through environmental and personal hygiene.
The enlightenment campaign were done at Obige Obukpa, and across different local markets in Elu Agu Obukpa, Owerre Obukpa, Ashua Owerre, Beach market, all in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Discussion about this post