The Caring Heart Heritage Initiative (CHHI), a non-governmental organisation, has conducted a handwashing awareness campaign at Adeife Akindeko Memorial Primary School in Bariga, Lagos State.

The campaign, titled “Clean Hands, Good Health”, is the organisation’s commitment on back to school initiative to enable the children to understand the benefits of cleanliness.

The campaign is aimed to educate pupils on the importance of handwashing in preventing the spread of diseases such as diphtheria and cholera.
Mrs Henrietta Otoabasi-Akpan, the Executive Director of CHHI, emphasised the link between health and education. “When children are healthy, they can learn and stay in school,” she said.

“We are teaching these young pupils how to avoid communicable diseases. Something as simple as handwashing can make the difference between life and death.
The initiative seeks to reinforce good health practices and support the government’s efforts in disease prevention. “By encouraging proper hygiene, we can reduce the spread of illness and lessen the burden on the healthcare system,” Otoabasi-Akpan explained. “Prevention is always better than cure.”

Beyond promoting cleanliness, CHHI is committed to helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds access education. “Our objective is to ensure that all children remain in school and receive a quality education,” Otoabasi-Akpan stated.

“We believe that by empowering children through education, we can contribute to a better future for the country.”

During the campaign, CHHI Welfare Director Mabel Edah provided practical instruction on handwashing techniques and stressed the importance of personal hygiene.

She encouraged the pupils to adopt cleanliness as a lifelong habit, reminding them that “cleanliness is next to godliness.”

The organisation gave out writing materials as well as school shoes, and soaps among others to the pupils.