In the fight against the silent pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), we once again took center stage during the 2023 World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW). With a commitment to raising awareness and fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, we organized a series of…
Handwashing remains a cornerstone in breaking the chain of the spread of infectious diseases. As such, at DRASA we are on a mission to develop more health and hygiene champions who will help build and contribute to healthier communities through…
For the 2023 Global Handwashing Day with the campaign theme “Clean hands are within reach,” we decided to take our handwashing campaign to two orphanages in Lagos, to teach hand washing and hygiene to 70 children and orphanage caregivers. On the 14th…
“When patients are passive in their own care, there will be unabated mistakes in the care they receive. This is why we need the feedback from patients for continuous quality improvement and better care.” — Prof. Isemede Abuja Nigeria. September…
“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate” —Anonymous There is something to be said for having others review your work and provide their own unique perspective as you seek to ensure you are meeting global standards and enhancing your impact in the communities you serve. That is why from the 17th to 19th of May, 2023, we hosted the World Health Organization Africa Regional Office (WHO AFRO), World Health Organization Nigeria Office (WHO Nigeria), and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to see our Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) School Program firsthand. The purpose of the visit was to gain insight into the school model we use and tour some of the schools in Lagos and Osun states where we execute this program through our Health and Hygiene Clubs. The aim was for our partners to assess our impact and suggest improvements. The visit began with the team arriving at DRASA’s office in Lagos on 17th May and ended at the Ministry of Education in Osun state on 19th May. The visiting team included Dr. Walter Fuller and Mrs. Otridah Kapona from WHO-AFRO, Dr. Chavan Laxmikant, and Dr. Omotayo Hamzat from the WHO Nigeria Country Office, Dr. Abiodun Egwenu and Dr. Ridwan Yahya from NCDC, and Prof. Oladipo Aboderin from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. They were taken through a presentation of the DRASA AMR School Program which featured an overview of our organization, the work we do through our core program areas, the problems of AMR in Nigeria and the challenges they pose, and our objectives for our AMR School Program. The presentation also included details of our implementation approach including team structure, topics covered in the training curriculum, monitoring and evaluation, as well as the major results. After the presentation there were robust discussions on how […]
“There are two sides to building the culture of hand hygiene: health workers maintaining the culture of hand hygiene during care, and educating patients on the 5 moments of hand hygiene to know the role they play in demanding the quality of care.” —Mrs. Rita Okonkwo. Project Director, SECURE-Nigeria, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria 14 years ago, World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) was launched as the “Clean Your Hands” global campaign and is celebrated annually on 5 May. The goal of the annual campaign is to promote the culture of hand hygiene in quality health care delivery. This year, the global campaign theme as set by the World Health Organization (WHO) was “Accelerate Action Together. SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands”. It was a call to Civil Society Organizations to spearhead and accelerate progress in achieving effective hand hygiene at the point of care. As a nonprofit developing champions to prevent diseases and save lives, we know that breaking systemic barriers to the hand hygiene culture indeed involves a strong collaborative effort. As such, to celebrate the WHHD this year, we organized an event in one of the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in Lagos state and also hosted a virtual event to drive conversations towards promoting hand hygiene culture and addressing these barriers that hinder this progress. Training on Hand Hygiene for Health Workers On World Hand Hygiene Day, the 5th of May 2023, we held a one-day training event at Akerele Primary Health Centre (PHC), in Surulere, Lagos State. Our goal was to promote hand hygiene at the point of care, to equip health workers in the facility, and to work together to advance infection prevention and control (IPC) through regular hand cleaning. Members of the DRASA team, joined by representatives of the Nigerian Society of Infectious Diseases (NSIC) met […]