Madelakufa residents empowered with health and hygiene education
Addressing the residents of Madelakufa during the door-to-door health and hygiene awareness campaign, Gauteng Department of Water and Sanitation officials and City of Ekurhuleni Water and Sanitation ambassadors re-iterated the importance of hand-washing as the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections.
Practising good hand-washing habits could prevent the spread of common diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, especially in places such as Madelakufa Informal Settlement in Tembisa.
In Africa 50 per cent of the deaths that occur are said to be caused by poor hygiene.
Over a million children die every year as a result of these preventable diseases.
Addressing the residents of Madelakufa during the door-to-door health and hygiene awareness campaign on Tuesday last week, Gauteng Department of Water and Sanitation officials and City of Ekurhuleni Water and Sanitation ambassadors re-iterated the importance of hand- washing as the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections.
The awareness campaign was done as part of the annual Sanitation and Hygiene Week celebrations, which take place during the month of May.
The theme for this year’s campaign is Sanitation for Health and Dignity, which is based on the government’s commitment towards bringing dignity to the people through the provision of sanitation services.
The team knocked on every door, distributing hand-washing posters, water-saving tips pamphlets and also engaging with the residents by demonstrating the steps of proper hand-washing.
According to Pearl Lediga, Customer Care Manager from Ekurhuleni, good hand-washing techniques include using an adequate amount of soap, rubbing the hands together to create friction, and rinsing under running water.
“We have the welfare of the people at heart – that is why we are here today talking to them about issues that affect their health and dignity,” said Legadi.
Residents were also urged to keep their area clean and to refrain from littering on the streets.
Annah Baloyi, a resident from Madelakufa informal settlement, welcomed the initiative and said that the initiative was very helpful to her as a mother.
“I always knew that washing hands was important, but I didn’t know that one can get sick by not washing one’s hands properly,” said Legadi.
