Mr. Asker takes handwashing to his community

In Ethiopia we eat with our hands rather than with a knife and fork, so we always wash our hands before a meal. But the custom is to use only water, not soap, and water alone does little to remove the germs that make people sick. Most people only use soap after they eat.

How can we change this habit and help families stay healthy? We recently used stories and hands-on demonstrations to help Afar clan members understand how proper handwashing prevents diarrhoea in their families. Diarrhoea is more than an inconvenience. It can kill, especially young children.

The training took place in Dulessa district. It is part of a two-year project on mother and child health funded by the Protestant Agency for Diakonia and Development (PADD). One of its goals is to improve hygiene and sanitation in households across the district.

One participant, Mr. Asker, is a highly respected member of his clan who often passes on what he learns to his family. When the handwashing session ended, he shook his head and said sadly:

“Now we know why so many of our people get sick and die. Simple, proper handwashing could have kept our children from getting sick and dying. I am sorry to say it, but ignorance has done a lot of damage to our community. We sell many goats and cows to pay for medical care. Our lack of education is hurting our household finances too. Some doctors take advantage of us because we do not take responsibility for our own health.”

The next morning I was having breakfast in town when Mr. Asker walked by. I invited him to join me. Before we started talking, he went straight to wash his hands. There was no soap, which was not a surprise, but that did not stop him. He politely asked the café owner for soap, and while he washed his hands he encouraged the owner to always keep soap out for customers. The owner smiled and said, “Thank you for telling me what you have learned. We will do as you say.”

Over breakfast, Mr. Asker wanted to tell me what he had done the night before. I asked him to go on.

“Yesterday, after the training, I finally understood why our health suffers. Last night the first thing I did was go to the shop and buy four bars of soap, one for each of my wives. I told them everything I had learned about proper handwashing. I told them firmly how important it is to wash our hands before we eat, after cleaning a child’s bottom and before preparing food. At first they were all confused by this new idea, but the more I explained, the more they understood, and they accepted my advice.”

He added, “I will keep sharing this with the rest of my clan. I want to be a champion for it.”

I laughed and told him how much he had encouraged me. It is wonderful to see a small piece of information begin to change a family, and then a whole community. FSA is thankful for people like Mr. Asker, and for the organisations willing to invest in lives like his.

Guret Ahmed, Founder and Executive Director