The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), in collaboration with Reckitt Nigeria, organized the Dettol Hygiene Quest Ambassador Induction Workshop for students in Kuje Area who were inducted to lead hygiene advocacy in their schools. A total of 34 students from 17 school across Kuje Area Council in Abuja were officially inducted as Hygiene Quest Ambassadors.
The initiative aims to establish Hygiene Quest Clubs, empowering students to spearhead Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activities, hygiene awareness campaigns, and handwashing demonstrations within their schools.
At the induction workshop in his opening remark in his opening remarks, Director of Programming and Reporting WBFA, Dr. Osinachi Onyeoziri who was represented by the State Program Lead WBFA Abuja; Mr. Kelvin Agagbe emphasised the critical role Dettol Hygiene Quest ambassadors will play in promoting handwashing and hygiene practices in their communities.
“The goal is for ambassadors to lead hygiene demonstrations in their schools and encourage their peers to join the clubs, so that handwashing becomes a habit, whether at school, at home, or anywhere they find themselves,”.
He highlighted the broader impact of these habits, noting, “If children imbibe this habit, it will reduce infections and illnesses, which in turn will reduce absenteeism. When a child is not sick, they will be in school. When a child is healthy, parents will not have to divert scarce resources to medical care.”
The representative from Kuje Area Council Department of Environment Mr. Azaki Rabo, addressed participants at the workshop, emphasizing the collective responsibility to drive change.
““As we gather here, we are not just individuals; we are champions of change, united by our passion for creating healthier communities. This programme will foster transformation among students in our schools here in Kuje, as we believe it will ensure that they consistently practise good hygiene.”” he stated.
Mr. Japhet Luka District head Kuchigbu Community, praised the impact of the programme on the community and outlined the some of the impact which the programme has made already from the previous community engagement and believes that the induction workshop will build the capacity of students and teachers to promote good hygiene practices, empowering the ambassadors as role models for healthier school environments, and strengthening collaboration among education stakeholders for sustained impact.
The Workshop was concluded with a spelling bee competition which saw a student representing from Green herald School emerge as the winner from the primary school section and a student from Junior Secondary School Dafa emerge as the winner for the secondary spelling bee section.