Cholera prevention: “Let’s all drink clean water”.
A lack of access to drinking water and poor storage of the same, as well as ignorance about good hygiene practices, are the main causes of this illness which even today can kill.
A campaign was organised from 1st – 30th April 2017 by the Katanga water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) cluster, with a view to preventing the spread of cholera in Haut-Katanga province in 2017.
Thanks to this campaign, more than 70,000 people from the town of Lubumbashi and the surrounding area were made aware of the importance of consuming drinking or treated water.
The decision was made on the eve of the celebration of World Water Day on the 22nd March 2017, to run this large-scale campaign in order to raise awareness amongst the populations of the Kampemba and Mumbunda health zones – the areas worst affected by the cholera epidemic during 2016 – of the risks posed by consuming non-drinkable water.
This initiative was realised with contributions from every member of the WASH cluster: with a subscription of 50 American dollars (USD) per member and the support of certain water treatment companies in Lubumbashi, more than 5000 USD was collected.
Besides raising awareness about hygiene measures, the campaign also introduced the benefits of chlorination.
Sonyi, a representative of ADAM – a local NGO which is a member of the WASH cluster – hopes that the community will continue to put into practice for as long as possible the knowledge that has been shared.
We crossed paths with Perpétue Mahanda after a full morning of work, data collection sheet in hand, reporting to her supervisors in Munua health centre.
The ultimate goal of UNICEF’s work in the WASH sector is to ensure that all children can benefit from the realisation of this right, and that no child should fall by the wayside.