As the international community marked this year’s Global Handwashing Day on October 15, 2020 under the theme “Hand Hygiene for all”, WaterAid Rwanda an international not-for-profit organisation is spearheading a campaign countrywide to improve access to clean water.

The local campaign message was to reemphasize the understanding of the importance of handwashing with clean water and soap for all.

This is because access to clean water is essential for inculcating and sustaining handwashing practices, which have assumed importance as a key method to prevent COVID-19.

Yet according to Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, only 4.4 per cent of households in Rwanda are equipped with facilities that have soap and water to enable the practice of handwashing with soap at critical moments.

“As WaterAid Rwanda, we are taking this opportunity to remind Rwandans that handwashing is the first line of protection against COVID-19 and other diseases like diarrhoea, Ebola virus disease, hepatitis, etc.

Good hygiene behaviours including hand washing should be an essential part of everyone’s lives: be at home, accessing education, accessing health care, other parts of our daily lives -public transportation, market places,” said Mr Maurice Kwizera-Country Director Rwanda said in a statement to mark this year’s Global Handwashing Day (GHWD).

One of the 4 public handwashing facilities built in Nyamagabe District. PHOTO | WaterAid

WaterAid Rwanda has so far reached more than 600,000 people with hygiene behavior change communication through Community Hygiene Clubs channel and of recent, more than 7million people through media-based awareness campaigns for COVID-19 prevention among other achievements.

This week, WaterAid Rwanda celebrated a decade of operations in Rwanda reaching more than 172, 483 people in water supply, 221 523 people in sanitation and 959,724 people in hygiene behavior change communication in 2965 communities, 338 schools and five health care facilities and 2 public places.

This is in addition to handing over modern permanent handwashing facilities built at four points namely Nyamagabe taxi / bus park, Gasaka, Gasarenda and Kaduha markets among other activities.

According to WaterAid Rwanda, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a stark reminder that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of a disease is also one of the simplest: hand hygiene, especially through handwashing with soap.

To beat COVID-19 today and ensure better health outcomes beyond the pandemic, hand hygiene must be a priority now and in the future.

This year, WaterAid is specifically celebrating the Global Hand Washing Day at district level in the Southern Province of Rwanda in collaboration with Nyamagabe District.

WaterAid Rwanda will join the district leaders, youth and other stakeholders in WASH sector to mobilise communities for hand hygiene, a way of strengthening the ongoing national campaign #SHISHOZA aimed at fighting the COVID-19.

This GHWD is celebrated during an ongoing 6-month national campaign named #shishoza (Think Twice) to strengthen community awareness on COVID19 prevention and supported by WaterAid Rwanda with support from HAF.