Hygiene is a very important topic that a lot of children do not know enough about. For instance, some of them are not used to washing their hands when necessary. That’s why we – Africa Unite and our Singamakhalipha Team – decided to address this topic and organised a workshop in Gugulethu. We invited kids from different townships we cooperate with to join.
After arriving at the Nyanga Open Library, the kids watched an informational video about germs and bacteria, teaching them in a fun way the importance of hand washing.
While the first group started to make their own soap, the others attended a quiz about hygiene.
We asked the kids to tell us why they should wash their hands, what hygiene means to them, and why it is important to clean the toilet before using it.
Nowadays, soap is affordable, but it is either missing, or not properly used in many households. Making soap and bringing something self-made home is a first step to convincing the kids on the importance of hand washing. Moreover, deciding which colour and fragrance their own soap should have, made them the workshop more enjoyable, and many wanted to take more soap home for family and friends.
While everybody was excitedly waiting for the soap to firm up, the day ended with some singing, playing, and refreshments.
It was a successful event. Learning and having fun don’t always need to be separated.
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