PAKISTAN, The Crisis Fighters
UNICEF teaches children in Kashmir how to protect their health after a disaster
At 8:50 A.M. on October 8, 2005, a major earthquake, centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, thundered throughout Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Registering 7.6 on the Richter scale, it killed more than 74,500 men, women, and children, and injured more than 106,000.
As with all natural disasters, the breakdown in sanitation and the lack of basic necessities for hygiene, such as clean water and healthy food, had the potential to become as dangerous—particularly to children—as the initial crisis itself.
With that in mind, UNICEF quickly teamed up with education authorities in the earthquake-affected areas, and launched a unique teacher-training program to help children adapt to the new realities of post-crisis sanitation and health concerns.
UNICEF/ HQ05-1493/Asad Zaidi
"I received training on how to help children with basic hygiene and health. Everything from the use of latrines, how to keep food safe by cleaning and boiling, how to keep the environment clean, and even things as simple as hand washing," said Musarrat Awan, a twenty-five-year-old teacher in the region. "When I returned to school, I taught all these topics to children and encouraged them to teach their friends, siblings, and parents."
To date, more than 4,400 teachers have been trained. The positive impact on the children has been immediate. "I wash my hands before and after eating, cut my nails every week, and brush my teeth every day. These things I've from school and I teach my friends to do the same," beamed Sanam, a nine-year-old student at the Government Girls' Primary School Said Bata. "Today, we've learned how to cover up food so it doesn't get dirty and flies do not spoil it, as they carry diseases," said another student.
In addition to training, UNICEF has distributed one hygiene resource kit to each school. Each kit is composed of manuals for teachers, exercise books, posters and flip-cards on issues such as safe handling of water. Children also received individual hygiene kits from UNICEF; each contains toothpaste and a toothbrush, a nail cutter, soap, a towel, and a comb.
"Adapting to new circumstances after a crisis is a long process," said Andrew Parker, a UNICEF Water, Environment, and Sanitation officer for the Emergency Program. "Through this approach our aim is that girls and boys be equally supported to become active role models and advocates of good health practices."
