Government steps up sanitation campaign

As way of enhancing hygiene and sanitation in the country, the government has put mechanisms of providing hygiene equipment to all nationals in the country with the aim of improving their wellbeing. A 2008study conducted by the Ministry of Health and ACCESS Project reported that the prevalence of intestinal worms among school children was 65.8% and it also revealed that 44% of pupils suffer from ameobiasis mostly caused by poor hygiene. Jackson Mugisha, an environmental expert from the Ministry of Local Government, noted that the government’s initiative of eradicating thatched houses (Nyakatsi) was a success adding that they had embarked on sensitizing communities to improve hygiene as well as protecting the environment. “We have embarked on spreading awareness and sensitizing all nationals, especially those who used to live in Nyakatsi on ways to improve their health. What we need is to bring back our culture of cleanness among our people,” said Mugisha. “If this is done, even the money that government has been spending on purchasing drugs for curing diseases brought about by poor hygiene and sanitation will reduce”. The government recently launched a country wide promotion to enforce personal and household sanitation through clean and green environment. Since the launch of the campaign that was aimed at providing facilitation to the families who were given new houses, many materials have been distributed in some districts. According to Mugisha, 350 ceramic filters to purify water were distributed to poor families in Nyabihu, Musanze,Ngoma,Bugesera and Gasabo Districts. He added that everyone will receive the filters. In the same districts, 412 energy saving stoves were also distributed to several poor households and schools. The campaign that ends next week on Saturday, also works on speeding up the process by which every Rwandan family will have a standard latrine before 2012, ensuring that households have decent beddings, providing the population with clean drinking water, among others. “This financial year, every Rwandan should possess hygiene and sanitation facilities. After the campaign ends, we shall go back to monitor and see whether people are practicing what they were taught” It’s believed that poor hygiene and sanitation is the underlying cause of more than 80% of diseases which influence the prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases and intestinal worms, especially among children under five. Ends