Community Health and Hygiene

Community Health and Hygiene

In Nigeria, 68% of the population has no access to a toilet and more than 2/3 of the population don’t have access to adequate sanitation (Wateraid). In these communities, people are at high risk of spreading and dying from infectious diseases.

A number of environmental factors influence the spread of infectious diseases including water supply, food sources, and sanitation facilities. However, good hygiene – particularly hand hygiene – is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of many infectious diseases including diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid (United Nations).

That is where our Community Health and Hygiene Program comes in.

“For some things that we normally disregard, we have now learned that they are serious issues that we need to pay more attention to in our community. Let those who have heard this go ahead to inform those who haven’t. For example, after using the toilet, we must wash our hands to avoid germs from spreading.”- Health Champion (Market Woman Leader)
“I have learned a lot about infectious diseases, for example, when we see anyone around us showing symptoms of an infectious disease like measles, we will advise them to go to the hospital or call the number of Disease Surveillance Notification Officers as seen on the pocket card.”- Health Champion (Butcher)
Our Solutions

1. Community Health Champions Training: We provide education, guidance, and support to train local community members as health champions who promote healthy living and important health behaviors such as handwashing, proper waste disposal, and safe food storage. We ensure they understand the public health risks they face every day, and teach them how they can maintain their personal hygiene, prevent the spread of diseases in their community, and sustain behavior change.

2. Disease Surveillance and Monitoring: We provide training and resources to enable community members and health champions to observe, identify, and report signs of infectious diseases in their communities to their local health authorities, enabling early detection and response to outbreaks.

3. Public Health Outreach Programs: We organize outreach programs and events uniquely tailored to engage with community members, promote health-seeking behavior, and provide access to healthcare services and resources.

4. Partnerships and Collaboration: We collaborate with local health authorities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to leverage resources, expertise, and support for the implementation of comprehensive community health and hygiene interventions.

5. Behavior Change Communication: We utilize communication strategies such as media campaigns, community meetings, and interpersonal communication to promote behavior change towards adopting healthier hygiene practices and reducing the spread of infectious diseases.