Help a Child: Provide Access to Water in Nigeria

Dear supporters, family and friends of Serendipity,

Living life in the “New Normal” can be difficult when states are not ready to curtail a second wave of the COVID 19 outbreak if it occurs. It is thus of utmost importance that measures are put in place to help protect community members. The pandemic has affected several aspects of our lives and education of our children is one of them as a break in learning has impacted heavily upon the child which has been occasioned with the pandemic. Now with the reopening of our schools, it is of utmost importance to STAY SAFE as Water and Hygiene facilities are a crucial and critical part of schools reopening.

Prior to the coming of the pandemic, one of Serendipity’s key goals is to ensure that our communities and children are not vulnerable to water borne diseases; and thus embarked upon School WASH Programmes in seven schools where we distributed WASH materials, hand washing points and taught over 200 children in primary, junior high and senior high in four local governing councils in Kano on the benefits of good hand washing practices in preventing them from falling ill, being vulnerable to water related ailments. School WASH Clubs were formed that will monitor the students adhering to what they were taught as well as exciting programmes to keep them engaged. Progress reports and feedback showed that the children have been practicing what they were taught with the percentage of absence from school dropping from 50% to 20%.

With the coming of COVID 19 we have intensified our efforts in our #StaySafe Campaign teaching school age children on good hand washing and hygiene practices, provision of WASH materials and donation of palliatives in the form of crates of eggs to boost their immunity. Our campaign took us to Hamza Primary and Secondary School in Sabowar Gadan where twenty children were taught on good hand washing practices, respiratory etiquettes (such as coughing and sneezing into the elbow or into a tissue and disposed away)  how to properly wear a mask with its usage and physical distances measures.  

A call to action to invest in the provision of WASH points, WASH items, Hand Sanitizers, face masks and palliatives such as crates of eggs to boost their immunity is needed and with your support we can do more.

Thank you for your continued trust in us to make a change in our communities and making better lives.

Best Regards,

Samirah Faruk

Links:

• Living with the new normal
• living with the new normal
• Tweet post on staying safe

Dear supporters, family and friends of Serendipity,

Kano, Nigeria has been grappling with water shortages since independence due to lack of adequate provision of access to water and sanitation facilities? Do you know that each day 1 child in 1000 dies of water related illnesses in rural communities in Kano?

The situation is now critical since the advent of COVID 19 as it has exposed the inadequacies of the state in providing adequate access to water and healthcare facilities in the 44 local governing councils, which has resulted in some strange deaths in the communities, the elderly and children being the most vulnerable.  

It is on this premise, we at Serendipity decided that it is not only to provide access to safe clean drinking water but also to provide trainings to school age children on good hand washing and hygiene practices learning how to wash their hands properly, times at which to wash hands and keeping clean, how long they should wash their hands, what to use in the event of no soap, the use of hand sanitizers, and not touching their face frequently.

We took our campaign to Amarzakaya village of Tudun Fulani in Ungogo Local Government Council, one of the project sites where we taught school age children on how to wash their hands properly, keeping themselves clean and the use of hand sanitizers. Children in such communities are the most vulnerable because much concentration is on the urban and peri-urban communities thus leaving out rural communities in terms of interventions.

WASH materials such as bathing soap and powder detergent were distributed to 20 children as well as crates of eggs as palliatives to boost their immunity as eggs contains the necessary amino acids and vitamins for growth and immunity.

We would continue with the distribution of WASH materials, hand sanitizers, palliatives such as eggs and trainings to children and the elderly in rural communities being the most vulnerable as our campaign against community spread of COVID 19 ensuring they know the right way to wash their hands and distribute these items to them. The best way for us to achieve this is your continued support to our project especially now in these trying times of the pandemic.

PREVENTION IS KEY TO ENDING THIS THREAT!!  

To learn more about our work, check out our website on www.serendipityhealthcare.ngo become our friend on Facebook/serenhealthcare, LinkedIn/samirahfaruk and follow us on twitter @serendipityHea1 or send us an email for any enquiry or advice.

Best Regards,

Samirah Faruk

Links:

• Fighting COVID 19
• Fighting COVID 19 in Kano
• Fighting COVID 19