Ebola Alert: Help Keep Clean Foundation Distributes Sanitizing Materials & Tools

The founder and President of HELP KEEP CLEAN Foundation, Queen Ijeoma Chikezie has ended a 3-day hand washing sensitisation campaign in Abia State capital, Umuahia. The much anticipated hand washing sensitization campaign under the foundation’s good health drive with supervision by Abia State Ministry of Education and Ministry Of Health concluded today in some public primary schools in Abia state practically educating the children steps to observe on clean and healthy lifestyle through proper washing of their hands with water and soap.

This also follows with special teaching and enlightenment of the pupils on how to prevent diseases and infections as well as the EBOLA scare in Congo. The exercise which is aimed at reaching out to over 30 primary Schools in the state witnessed the practical hand washing sensitization campaign in 10 schools for a start, including the presentations of buckets, water tap drums, tissue papers, soaps, baskets and other hand washing materials to all the classes of the 10 schools.

In a bid to have an easy understanding of the exercise, an illustrated hand washing story book ” Tom & His Washing hand Friends” authored by the Abia state born ex-beauty queen and founder of the NGO, were distributed to all the over 7000 pupils in the different primary schools visited. Queen Ijeoma while highlighting the motivation and essence of the project to the journalists said.

“It is truly a dream come true for me, being the convener of this project, contributing to the provision and improvement of clean water, sanitaion facilities and basic hygiene education in primary schools is what my foundation is all about. “From UNICEF’s report, every year in Nigeria, about 124,000 children under the age of 5 die from preventable diseases caused by lack of clean water, adequate sanitation and basic hygiene education. The diseases include diarrhoea, dysentry, cholera, cold, tummy bugs, respiratory infection, skin infection etc, these germs includes bacteria, viruses and fungi,” she added.

According to her “One of the most effective and inexpensive ways to eradicate and stop the spread of these germs and diseases include the recent Monkey pox outbreak is the simple act of hand washing with water and soap. This is a project my foundation has taken up to sensitize and inculcate in children in this practice and also general healthy hygiene lifestyle. “My Book on hand washing is given freely to every child as a constant reminder to keep a healthy hygiene. Going to schools to teach children, and personally distributing the books to them with a warm hug is something they won’t forget in a hurry, and as we know, children are agents of change, this education and practice lingers in them.

This Program will continue in different primary schools in Nigeria” she concluded. According to the coordinator, Queen Ijeoma, the exercise will continue in other schools in Aba tomorrow as Umuahia outing was termed impressive today. The Help Keep Clean Foundation which involves Alex Nwankwo, Chikezie Amarachi and others will arrive Aba tomorrow for the 2nd day of the hand washing project with delegates from Ministry of Education.