15-10-2020 | di COOPI

COOPI and UNICEF celebrate World Hand washing Day in Ecuador

Quito, October 15, 2020 - The importance of washing hands with soap and water is fundamental for the prevention of diseases and, above all, the survival of millions of people around the world. For this reason, COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale, together with UNICEF Ecuador, and with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), celebrate the World Hand washing Day through the Project “Safe against COVID-19. Health establishments and population of Muisne and Pedernales strengthened in water, hygiene and sanitation”. This project reinforces the message of hand washing in Ecuador, specifically in coastal area such as Pedernales (Manabí province) and Muisne (Esmeraldas province) through the campaign ¡Lávate-te Lávate Las Manos! (Wash Your Hands!)

The objectives of this project are infection prevention and control, assistance with critical WASH services and supplies, and training for women in safe water treatment and storage at home. For this, with special attention to the context of the health emergency linked with COVID-19, COOPI trains workers in health facilities through the WASHFIT methodology (WHO designed to improve water systems in a sustainable manner, in partnership with the public sector, ed), as well as gives workshops to women, with emphasis on personal and menstrual hygiene, as well as hand washing with soap and water.

In this way, COOPI joins this call for global awareness, highlighting that good hygiene practices such as hand washing at key moments of the day (before cooking or eating, and after going to the bathroom or cleaning a baby) can save millions of lives.

COOPI has been present in Ecuador since 1967 and in 2020 it intervenes in various programs of humanitarian assistance and response to the population in human mobility, in the context of the COVID-19 emergency.