What is the place of children in hygiene promotion?
Updated - Tuesday 08 August 2006
What is the place of children in hygiene promotion?
Children are both a major target group and major actors in hygiene promotion programmes. Young children still need to build their resistance to infectious diseases. When under the age of five they are the most vulnerable to poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Some 6,000 children die every day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene - equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.
At the same time, children are major actors when it comes to better practices. Children who acquire good habits when young will often practice these throughout their lives and pass them on to their own children. They often also have a positive influence on parents. Schools and school sanitation programmes play an important role in spreading good practices.
Are you looking for more information about SSHE? You may go to UNICEF and IRC's online resource centre on School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) or you may go to Frequently Asked Questions on SSHE on the Sanitation connection web pages.
