SQUATTING AND JUMPING FINDS A NEW MEANING AT THE WASH COMMITTEE TRAINING.

Last weekend was a beautiful and successful one as  pupils from Ngei primary, St Stephen, Nazarene and St Catherine had so much fun participating at the WASH committee training for the ambassadors and the influential pupils from their respective schools.

Pupils during the training session.

Many of the children arrived in good time and before they knew it the activities began in the interest of time. Children were taken through warm up and orientation into the compound as preliminary activities before they all settled in the hall for the overview of the WASH themes namely Hand Washing, Using the toilet, Food hygiene, Water safety, Environmental hygiene and menstrual hygiene.  With each participating child having been given a note book and a pen, their enthusiasm was lightened up as they took notes during the facilitation.

Another session followed immediately after facilitation, it was the opportunity to learn how to be peer educators in training other children WASH messages using sports, play and fun activities. It was at this time that in deed children were able to make lots of fun and enjoy the game. One of the games demonstrating the use of toilet was fun and fun according the feedback from them. The game had several cones labeled with both the correct and wrong use of toilets. Children were then instructed to queue up in groups and to run to the stations of the cones, read the label and then jump over if the label indicated a wrong type of toilet or squat if the label had the correct type.

Squatting indicated using that toilet since it was the correct type. The fun of it emanated from the squatting as this is what actually happens while using the toilets but the children felt some embarrassment doing so and furthermore some children ended up squatting at the wrong type of toilet use as others jumped over the correct types of toilet use.Children then gathered into groups to develop WASH resources which they carried to school and it was amazing to see huge creativity from the children with some others making a drawing to demonstrate ovulation and the menstrual cycle in reference to menstrual hygiene that they had just learnt. Presentation of badges to WASH ambassadors, giving out of WASH materials and serving of lunch followed before the children departed to their homes. Many children were for this day well spent in learning and fun.

Warm up session .

Presentation by Felix Kipkoech who was one of the facilitators.

The pupils working in groups.

St Catherine pupils showcasing their presentation.

Ngei WASH ambassadors after receiving badges

Pupils receiving materials to help promote WASH in schools.