Video: Children in Pakistan learn the importance of handwashing

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Luned Jones and Caroline Gluck meet children in Pakistan who are learning how to wash their hands to prevent the spread of potentially fatal diseases. Video by Caroline Gluck Barely a month since Bela Koroona School in north west Pakistan was submerged by the floods, the children were back in the classrooms and preparing for Global Handwashing Day. Headteacher Major Shah showed me the ruined school records and books black with mildew. Major Shah. Photo: Caroline Gluck/Oxfam He said, “Everything was destroyed. The whole building was submerged. It took a week for the waters to go down. All the records were destroyed: mats, books, electrical things. After the floods, it was stinking here. We had to restart classes in a displaced people’s camp. It was challenging. 14 days later we shifted back.”   On Friday 15 October, 190 pupils were clutching posters and listening intently to the first Global Handwashing Day session. The floods affected all of the children here and some are still living in camps whilst their houses are being rebuilt. The camps are breeding grounds for disease - so with families expected to stay in camps for longer it’s vital that good hygiene practices are adopted and the threat of diseases minimalised. Major Shah added, “People have a lot of skin diseases and eye infections; there are also a lot of problems with diarrhoea. This event - global handwashing day - is important. If people don’t wash their hands properly, children will be prone to different kinds of diseases. We hope our children will learn properly so they can be safe from disease and stomach problems. I can feel that the children are filled with energy and excitement about the day’s events. There are talks, demonstrations and games so that the children enjoy learning not only about the importance of handwashing but also how to do it properly. Sana Gul is learning in school about the importance of handwashing. Photo: Caroline Gluck/Oxfam Soap saves lives   Sana Gul is 11 and stood up in front of the whole school to show the five steps of handwashing. She told me, “If you don’t wash hour hands they will be dirty and you can get stomach problems, fevers and coughs.” Sana is quite right - handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrhoeal and acute respiratory infections. It’s shocking to think that together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Turning handwashing with soap into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhoea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by a quarter. “My parents will also learn to wash their hands properly” And children are key to making sure the messages hit home. Sana tells me she’s confident that she’ll be able teach her family as well. “I will tell my parents what I’ve learned… how to wash hands properly. I think they will listen to me. They will also learn to wash their hands properly so they won’t carry germs and we will be protected from illnesses.” These activities are part of Oxfam’s Flood Response work in Pakistan on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, where we are reaching over a million people and continue to support communities as they recover from the worst floods in the country’s history. Oxfam’s response to the Pakistan floods More from the Oxfam Press Office at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/news