Hygiene and Sanitation Presentation for Bike Riders

A few days ago, we were contacted to do a 30 minutes Hygiene and Sanitation presentation for Bike Riders in Bamenda III Municipality in the North West Region of Cameroon. This is what we put together that was presented during the event that held today 19th February 2020 and was attended by over 40 bike riders.

Introduction

Did you know over 2.6 Billion people around the globe lack access to sanitation facilities?
Around the world, 2.2 billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water - that's 1 out of every 3 people globally
Every year, 297,000 children under 5 years old die from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and poor hygiene
80% of the world's waste water goes into our waterways without proper treatment - this pollutes drinking water and contributes to the spread of water-related diseases
Do you know almost all of us seated here have been drinking water mixed with feces, cow dung and farm chemicals?

What is Hygiene and Sanitation?

Hygiene

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases."
Many people equate hygiene with 'cleanliness,' but hygiene is a broad term that covers personal habit choices such as how frequently to take a shower or bath, wash hands, trim fingernails, and wash clothes. It also includes attention to keeping surfaces in the home and workplace, including bathroom facilities, clean and pathogen-free.
There are different kinds of hygiene that range from personal hygiene, medical hygiene, home and everyday hygiene, hand washing, laundry hygiene, food hygiene, household water treatment and safe storage, etc and the principal goal of all these different kinds of hygiene are to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases.

Sanitation

Sanitation refers the process of cleaning-up the environment, effective waste management, adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage as well as the public health conditions related to clean drinking water.
Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap.
It is generally concerned with the protection of human health by providing a clean and safe environment that will stop the transmission of diseases, especially through the fecal–oral route.
For example, diarrhea, a main cause of malnutrition and stunted growth in children, can be reduced through sanitation.
Ascariasis, Cholera, Polio, etc can also be reduced by sanitation.

Why is Hygiene and Sanitation important?

Health

Good hygiene and sanitation can prevent you from getting sick. Typhoid, Malaria, Cholera, Diarrhea, Skin diseases, Ascariasis, etc are examples of diseases that can be prevented by simple hygiene and sanitation practices.
We know health is wealth. A lot you here work tirelessly but spend all your money for hospital bills for diseases that can be prevented via basic hygiene and sanitation practices such as taking a bath regularly, washing your hands, eating good food and drinking clean water etc.

A good economic investment

If we practice good hygiene and sanitation, we will not get sick and if we don’t get sick it means we will not have to spend money for hospital bills.
So if you want to save money from healthcare and treatment, engage in good hygiene and sanitation practices. After all, prevention is better than cure.

Important for social development

Do you know when you are sick, your friends, clients and dependents suffer? This means if we maintain good hygiene and sanitation practices, we will be healthy to continue to serve our clients, friends and family, hence continue to contribute to our community’s development.

Helps the environment

Community clean-up and effective waste management means a healthy, safe and clean environment for you and future generations. This means you don’t have to smell the disgusting scent of waste, or listen the disturbing sound of the mosquitoes. This helps to protect our water sources hence improve aquatic life as well as the quality and quantity of water.

Dignity

When you look clean and your environment is clean, your dignity and self confidence is boosted.

Effects of poor hygiene and Sanitation

1. Health
   Poor hygiene and sanitation will greatly accelerate the spread of diseases. This means, you will spend all your time in the hospital either being sick or taking care of someone who is sick.
   Some of the diseases you will easily contract as a result of this include dental carries, malaria, typhoid, ascariasis, cholera, diarrhea, etc
2. Economic hardship
   Spending money for health bills will increase you and your family’s economic hardship and poverty.
3. Environmental degradation
   Poor hygiene and sanitation accelerate land, water and air pollution which further exacerbate climate change
4. Poor hygiene and sanitation will reduce the quantity and quality of water hence accelerate the spread of diseases.

Important Hygiene and Sanitation tips for bike riders.

Have you ever wondered why clean bike riders have more passengers and more money than shabby bike riders? Anyway, the answer to this question is very simple. Nobody likes a dirty person: The cleaner you are, the higher your price and the more clients you attract. If you want to minimize your risk of infection and also enhance your overall health, follow these basic personal hygiene habits:

1. Wear gloves during work but most especially wash your hands as much as you can. When necessary, move with a hand sanitizer.
2. Brush and floss teeth always. When you have clean teeth and good mouth ordour, you feel confident pricing clients.
   Please avoid the use of tooth picks and most preferably use dental floss. It’s cheaper to buy tooth picks but expensive to manage the effects of tooth pick when you visit a dentist. If you can’t afford to buy the floss, use a clean piece of thread to floss your teeth always.
3. Bathe at least once every day. The cleaner you are, the more passenger attraction you generate.
4. Wear clean ]clothes always and most especially wear your shoes with clean socks. Remember to clean your helmets too. Please, avoid wearing one clothes twice for repeating your inner wears and inner clothes will be the cause of that perfume that scares your passengers away from you.
5. Move along with a clean towel to use to dust-off yourself when need arises
6. Wash your bikes at least once a day.
7. Organize and clean up your bike parks at least once every week as well as caution users of the parks to stop littering the area.
8. Let your hair and finger nails always look neat.
9. Don’t just eat or drink anything anywhere because you are a bike rider. Study the hygiene and sanitation conditions of the place you eat or drink before you eat or drink there. If not, you may be using your money to buy your typhoid, diarrhea, or any hygiene and sanitation related disease.
10. Sleep at least seven hours a day. Enough rest is very important if you want to stay healthy and work plenty money.

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