So many illnesses start with poor hand hygiene. Salmonella, campylobacter (cause of food poisoning, stomach and intestine inflammation), MRSA, flu, diarrhea and sickness, the common cold, and impetigo are just some of the viruses and infections passed between people who do not wash their hands properly with soap. A UNICEF study reports that the simple act of washing your hands with soap and water can cut diarrheal disease by one-third. The Center for Disease control reports that hand washing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance.
Even in light of the Ebola outbreak, many village schools in and around Braffoueby, Ivory Coast, a region devastated by the civil war and poverty, continue to have limited access to running water and soap. Every school day a teacher sends a young girl to the well to fetch a bucket of water, where multiple kids dip their hands into the same bucket, many of whom may not have washed their hands with soap. This same bucket is used as their source of water for the day. Lack of sanitation, including poor sanitation of washing equipment, leads to disease, which can create life long detrimental effects for children including school dropout.
Through our partnership with the Patricia Nau Clinic, ICMC seeks to reach 1,600 children with access to 28 new sinks and sanitation supplies in the classrooms of four partner schools in the villages of Broffoueby and Becedi. Water fall in the area is abundant and wells are located near the schools. This project is expected to take 30 days to complete.
The total cost of this project is $5,029. The project budget includes:
- 12 sinks and building supplies for 1 school in Braffoueby = $2,000
- *supplies include pipes, sand, gravel, cement, and paint
- 16 sinks and building supplies for 3 schools in Becedi = $3,029
Please, help us reach our fundraising goal to save lives and put sinks in the classrooms and teach the proper technique with soap!
All My Best,
Patsy
Founder, Ivory Coast Mothers and Children