The Safe Hands Foundation has lamented the lack of running water in public schools across Rivers State, urging governments and other stakeholders to invest in hygiene infrastructure.
The foundation said the absence of running water had made it difficult for students and teachers to practise basic hygiene, including proper handwashing.
The foundation’s founder, Dr Okolie Okechukwu, made this known at a workshop held in Port Harcourt on Thursday to mark the 2026 Global Handwashing Day, themed ‘Be a Handwashing Hero’.
Okechukwu also announced the launch of the foundation’s water access project, aimed at ensuring that students in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State have access to running water for handwashing and proper hygiene.
He said the foundation planned to partner with the government, private individuals and corporate organisations to provide potable water in schools and promote proper handwashing and hygiene.
Okechukwu said, “It’s painful to know that some public schools in Rivers State don’t have water, and in the magazine which we launched today, there’s a story there that talked about dry taps and the untold stories of public schools in Rivers State that don’t have a good source of water.
“If you look forward or inwards, you would see that it’s not all about total infrastructure dilapidation.
“Some of them could be that their tank is leaking, so they’re no longer pumping; some don’t have power to power their sumos; some, their sumos have packed up. If you look at it, an average of ₦200,000 to ₦500,000 could have ordinarily restored the water situation in some public schools, and that is not being done.
“So we want, as an organisation, to go in and provide this and restore human rights to these children.”
He described proper handwashing as a first step towards preventing infections and diseases, urging participants to see the workshop as a call to action. He added that good hygiene practices could help reduce frequent visits to hospitals.
The foundation’s founder also called on governments and corporate organisations to prioritise hygiene infrastructure and education across the state.
“Government agencies, educational institutions, civil society organisations, corporate entities, and community leaders must align efforts to prioritise hygiene infrastructure and education.
“To our students and youths, you are our greatest hygiene ambassadors. Take the lessons from today’s workshop back to your homes, back to your classrooms, and neighbourhoods. Inspire your peers, lead by example, and help make clean hands a natural habit across our state,” he added.
Also speaking, a community leader, Sir Ben Ike, urged participants to take proper handwashing and hygiene seriously to prevent illnesses and reduce hospital visits.
He said, “If you don’t wash your hands thoroughly before you eat, you cannot know the number of germs that will enter into your stomach, and if you are not able to eat, you will have illness in your body.
“So, a lot has been said, and it is good information to you all. I believe that as you leave today, you will put all these things into practice.”
A guest lecturer at the event, Prof. Golda Ekenedo, also called on stakeholders to support advocacy for proper handwashing and hygiene in a paper titled ‘Skills-Based Advocacy for Handwashing’.