Location:
Participants: 60
Organizations: Institute of Mother & Child Care (I-MACCA) under the Helping Hands Foundaton
On 16th October 2014, the women from around gathered & filled the seminar room of the Institute of Mother & Child Care (I-MACCA), Multan to attend the Hand Washing Day seminar that had been arranged by the Helping Hands Foundation (HHF), a not-for-profit organization working for health, education, and community empowerment.
The seminar was divided into two sessions. The first session was to make the women aware of the main health issue posed to them due to the lack of hygienic practices especially the hand hygiene. It also aimed to familiarize the ladies with the threat of the diseases & problems due to these detrimental practices. The second session’s objective was to share the importance of handwashing to avoid gynecological infections/diseases.
Mrs. Ayesha Waheed, the coordinator of the program, facilitated the first session. She highlighted the importance of hand hygiene and the diseases that the bad hand hygiene can spread. Then she discussed the special occasions when handwashing is very necessary, such as before cooking, eating, or after going to toilet. After showing slides, she demonstrated the correct way of washing hands. Before finishing her session she asked the women to stand at their places one by one & demonstrate the right way of handwashing. She then told how to control the spread of germs during flu and cough season in public places by hand washing. Here the women learnt the right ways to sneeze and cough followed by handwashing with practical demonstration.
Dr. Amna Mahmood Awan, who is a pediatrician, ultrasonologist, business entrepreneur and a great social worker, facilitated the second session. She gave an educational talk on gynecological issues arising due to bad hand hygiene & insanitary practices. She talked in length about the whole physiology and structure of the female genital tract with pictures & board, in the language that these illiterate women could understand. She stressed on the preventive measures to be saved from the genital tract infections, especially the clean hand habits. The peak of Hand Washing Seminar was the practical demonstration by the participants. The partakers practiced & demonstrated practical peer-guided hand washing in front of the facilitators with soap and water.
The women realized that it is much better to adopt these simple habits & be guarded from the attacks of germs. They learnt that the minor change in their lifestyle could help them & their families to remain healthy while saving a lot of budget that is spent on the medicines. The women expressed that it is a great opportunity for them to learn what I-MACCA offers in terms of helpful tips on how to keep themselves and their surroundings clean.
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