Mr Tijjani Dauda (Right), Village Head of Sabon Gari, Kufana, and Mr Markus Madaki of Unguwan Mangoro, Kufana, holding the hygiene packs donated by WaterAid and Aid Foundation

By Philip Yatai

Some community members of Kufana in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have lauded the Water Aid and Aid Foundation’s Clean Family Campaign, describing it as a “life changer”.

The community members gave the commendation in separate interviews with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kufana on Saturday, who was in the community to assess the impact of the Clean Family Campaign.

The Clean Family Campaign was inaugurated in 2020, under the WaterAid and Aid Foundation’s Scaling-Up Hygiene Project in Kaduna State, to promote good hygiene practices in households against COVID-19.

WaterAid Team Lead in the state, Idowu Adebayo had explained that the main objective of the campaign was to influence the adoption of good hygiene behaviours at critical times by family units.

The community members told NAN that the campaign was already yielding the desired result, stressing that regular hand washing, wearing of face masks and other hygiene practices were becoming a norm in households.

Mr Tijjani Dauda, Village Head of Sabon Gari Kufana, said that hand washing, wearing of face masks have become parts of daily life in his households following the sensitisation campaign.

Dauda, a father of four, said that the Clean Family Campaign has changed his households’ attitude towards hand washing and good hygiene practices.

He added that the campaign has enlightened him more about COVID-19 and how regular hand washing and wearing of face masks can shield his households from the dreaded disease.

“Before the outbreak of COVID-19, we only wash our hands in the morning and during meals, but now we all wash our hands regularly, wear face masks all the time and so far, life has been good.

“In fact, I have never used a face mask in my 67 years in this world until I received a hygiene pack from the Water Aid and Aid Foundation and now, I am getting so used to it.

“The gesture made me realise how serious COVID-19 is and strengthened my resolve to do all that I can to remain safe from the deadly virus and other diseases being spread through unhygienic behaviours,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Markus Madaki of Unguwan Mangoro, Kufana, said that he became aware of COVID-19 through listening to radio programmes and other sensitisation campaigns.

64-year-old Madaki and a father of 10, said that the campaign has helped inculcate the attitude of regular hand washing and wearing of face masks in his household.

“The campaign was timely because we never took the COVI-19 issue seriously. We viewed it as mere stories until the consistent sensitisation campaigns by non-governmental oraganisations and government agencies.

“I saw a hand washing facility being installed in my community and I benefited from the hygiene packs being distributed to households. This was a great encouragement to keep our households clean at all times,” he said.

Some beneficiaries of WaterAid and Aid Foundation Hygiene Packs, Mrs Maria Stephen, a housewife (middle), her daughter, Catherine (left) and a community volunteer at Kufana, Kajuru Local Government Area

Also, Mrs Maria Stephen, a housewife and a mother of seven, said: “I began wearing a face mask and washing my hands regularly when I kept hearing that it would protect me and my household from Coronavirus.

“I leant that a person will be infected with the virus if he refuses to wear a face mask, not washing hands regularly or living in an unhygienic environment.

“I also heard that besides protecting against COVID-19, regular washing of hands, wearing of a face mask and good hygiene practices will prevent one from all kinds of communicable diseases.

“As we kept hearing this, we decided to comply and do the needful and we are seeing the benefits as the last time my 5-year-old boy was sick was in July 2020”.

A teenager, Catherine Stephen, having a conversation with a community volunteer, on hand washing facility donated to Kufana community by WaterAid and Aid Foundation 

Her 16-year-old daughter, Catherine, who wants to be a doctor, said that wearing face masks and regular washing of hands was difficult at first, adding that they were now getting used to it.

Mr Emmanuel Bonet, Executive Director, Aid Foundation, told NAN that the campaign was implemented in 14 out of the 23 local government areas of the state.

Bonet said that jingles on good hygiene practices were being aired in five radio and two television stations in the state and distributed hygiene packs to 5,000 vulnerable households.

He added that hand washing facilities were installed in churches, mosques, markets, schools, hospitals, and other high-density areas in the 14 benefiting LGAs.