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Hand-washing initiative launched in Kenya for women, children

Xinhua, June 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Kenyan government and multinational consumer goods firm, Unilever, on Friday launched an initiative aimed at changing the hand-washing behaviors of 12 million Kenyans by 2020, a senior official has said.

The Help a Child Reach 5 campaign, which seeks to promote hygiene for mothers, children and new-borns, is funded by Unilever in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund.

The initiative is expected to increase hand washing with soap as a high impact intervention for advancing maternal, newborn and child health in the country's six counties with the highest number of child mortality.

"Washing hands with soap reduces diarrheal disease-associated deaths by up to 50 percent, lower the risk of respiratory infections by 16 percent, and decrease skin infections and trachoma among other maternal and newborn diseases," said Cleopa Mailu, Cabinet Secretary for Health.

He said that a pilot project will be conducted in Migori County in western Kenya, a region with the highest child and infant mortality rates in Kenya, before being extended to other five counties.

"Investments in water and sanitation interventions may further improve the health and well-being of women and children," Mailu said.

Figures show that globally eight percent of maternal deaths and an estimated 10 to 15 percent in developing countries are caused by infections linked to unhygienic conditions during labor and the six-week postpartum period.

Further, every year, there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of diarrheal disease, causing an estimated 760,000 child deaths.

Mailu said that there was clearly a link between unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene and detrimental health outcomes for women and children, especially in developing countries.

"Investment in water and sanitation is therefore cost-effective especially for hard-to-reach communities, and has the potential to bring about lasting change in health outcomes," he said.

Unilever says it has earmarked one million U.S. dollars for the campaign.

Figures show that in Kenya, more than 34,000 newborn babies die each year within their first month of life and between 5,000 to 7,000 women die each year from giving life. Endit