Hygiene Sustainability: March 2008 Archives
Greater measures to improve sanitation and hygiene facilities in
international development projects as well as emergency aid are needed. I've even noted that hygiene education is declining in the US...and community hygiene facilities are poorly maintained, sparce, and hard to access by people needing services in public places.
Our mothers probably did a good job on us, telling us to "Clean up after yourself," but modern gated communities and buildings, members-only facilities, vandalism and stranger-danger that come with urban living have made that difficult for individuals, companies and organizations that want to be good neighbors -- but feel the brunt of public behavior abuses and neglect
RESOURCE: http://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com
“This isn’t a popular subject,” explains Martin Wolff, Welthungerhilfe’s Programme Manager for Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, “but installing latrines and raising hygiene awareness are essential if people’s health is to improve in developing countries.”Hygiene includes restrooms, washing hands, bathing, menstrual hygiene, sick care, changing diapers, nose blowing, indigestion problems...and the list goes on.
In its project countries, Welthungerhilfe makes sure that those who benefit from water installations and sanitary facilities are also those who maintain, repair and administer the amenities.
Our mothers probably did a good job on us, telling us to "Clean up after yourself," but modern gated communities and buildings, members-only facilities, vandalism and stranger-danger that come with urban living have made that difficult for individuals, companies and organizations that want to be good neighbors -- but feel the brunt of public behavior abuses and neglect
The shamefully weak presence of the health sector in advocating for improved access to water and sanitation is incomprehensible and completely short-sighted. Children who benefit from the huge international effort and financial and human resources spent on immunisation and bednet distribution still have a strong chance of dying from diarrhoeal illnesses—the second biggest killer of children under 5 years.Hygiene is serious business. As important to sustainable communities as climate change and energy shortages.
RESOURCE: http://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com
Why is it that personal hygiene is such a forbidden topic? Sexual functions are part of practical living and most families have both girls and boys in them -- so gender topics should be of concern to all adults. But history has shown that women's reproductive health care ... and hygiene ... have been embarrassing and ignored. Hopefully times are changing, and we can care for our daughters' needs in a more sustainable way.
The Source article gives a link to a report published last year, called “Menstrual hygiene: a neglected condition for the achievement of several Millennium Development Goals”.
SanitationUpdates.wordpress.com
In Africa, one of the activities of the QUEST programme (1998-2006) involved research in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda on the links between life skills, sexual maturation and school sanitation. One of aspects looked at was how poor menstrual management negatively affected girls school attendance.Most sanitation programmes are silent about women and adolescent girls’ need to clean and change menstrual towels and menstrual management tends to be ignored in latrine design and construction and excluded from hygiene education packages. Even reproductive health and preventive health programmes in developing countries often do not address this sensitive issue. A recent article in Source Bulletin describes how WaterAid has tackled this issue in Bangladesh.
The Source article gives a link to a report published last year, called “Menstrual hygiene: a neglected condition for the achievement of several Millennium Development Goals”.
SanitationUpdates.wordpress.com
