Zoomlion Foundation has observed this year’s Global Handwashing Day with 3,000 Zoomkids Club members at Nii Sowah Din Cluster of Schools in the Adentan municipality of Accra.
As part of activities to mark the Day, GIZ, Appointed Times Screen Printing Limited and other partners provided free health screenings for the 3,000 Zoomkids and free NHIS enrolment for an additional 2,000 Zoomkids and teaching staff.
The children were screened for malaria, eye and nose issues, and blood sugar – while adults were screened for breast cancer.
Some the schoolchildren were also registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme, while others had their membership renewed.
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director-Zoomlion Ghana Ltd., Emma Adwoa Appiaa Osei-Duah, noted that the objective of Global Handwashing Day is to get children to know the need to regularly wash their hands while also encouraging their mates and family members to do the same.
“Helping the children to imbibe such good habits will greatly impact their lives, which will have a ripple-effect on the country’s economy and health budget,” she stressed.
Alluding to the theme ‘Clean hands are within reach’, she said: “We are here to help them remember that handwashing is within reach”.
She added that every year the Zoomkids join international and national partners to celebrate Global Handwashing Day.
Public Relations Manager-Adenta Municipal Education Directorate, Gloria Mensah, explained that the motive for partnering Zoomlion Foundation is to promote handwashing education for schoolchildren in the municipality.
She commended Zoomlion Foundation for providing handwashing facilities to schools within the municipality.
She advised the schoolchildren to take handwashing very seriously, and also educate their siblings at home on good environmental practices.
The National Coordinator for Zoomlion Foundation, Thomas Narh Korley, intimated that with the dangers imposed by infectious diseases, it is imperative to take precautions and preventive measures and not wait for the worst to happen before doing what is right.
“Infectious diseases are becoming an issue all over the world; we need to take precautions and preventive measures, we shouldn’t wait for a situation like Corona virus before telling the children to wash their hands,” he explained.
“We believe that if children know how to protect themselves, when they grow up we won’t have to spend so much resources for vaccines to treat sickness; because they will already be taking daily precautions,” he observed.
The Coordinator hinted that all schools involved in the project will receive logistical support to promote good environmental practices.
According to Korley, the Zoomlion Foundation together with partners have planned month-long activities to observe Global Handwashing Day. Some of the activities include talk-shows, drama shows, roadshows, health screenings, NHIS registration and demonstrations of handwashing.
“We want to protect their health so they can stay in school and learn, to become productive citizens, he remarked.
The partners include GES, GIZ, Appointed Time printers, Coca-Cola, Blueskies, Kasapreko, Golden Exotics Limited, NHIA and Ghana Health Service.
