The main way that illnesses are spread is from person-to-person in respiratory droplets of coughs or sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and come in contact with the mouth or nose of others who are nearby, or when germs land on shared items such as toys, desks and doorknobs. If people fail to wash their hands after touching these surfaces, they can become vulnerable if they touch their eyes, mouth or nose.
Our Prevention program focuses on teaching our children -- and their parents -- the importance of hand washing, as well as the proper way to do it.
Our volunteers go classroom by classroom training the children, themselves, as well as their parents, who have been asked to attend these sessions. In addition to a thorough demonstration of the best method of hand washing, the children are also taught a song to sing that lasts as long as they ought to wash their hands, which is 20 second. After the demonstration, the volunteers give out hand washing posters that can be hung in the school lavatories.
