​Every year 3.5 million children globally do not live past five years of age due to diarrhea and pneumonia.  These are common diseases which can be prevented effectively and affordably through hand washing with soap, which is the single most cost-effective health intervention.

We are currently conducting trainings in primary schools throughout Kibera, teaching and encouraging hand washing with soap before eating, after using the toilet and after playing, through different activities such as songs, plays, coloring or demonstration of how to wash your hands with water and soap. The children are always very active and eager to learn.

However, such a practice is often challenging to implement in areas where people have very little knowledge of its importance or relevance and where water supply is limited. The language barrier is sometimes hard to overcome, since most of the youngest children only speak Kiswahili.

When it comes  to sharing good hygiene practices, children can act as agents of change by taking the “hand washing lessons” learned at school back into their homes and communities, and assist in spreading and maintaining the integral message of the importance of sanitation and health.