Dettol in partnership with Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) have officially launched the third year of the Dettol Hygiene Quest Initiative after recording a 34 percent drop in diseases from the previous campaign.
The flag-off which took place at Oduduwa Primary School, Gbagada, Lagos aims to build hygiene culture among pupils and reduce related diseases by 10 percent.
“The Dettol Hygiene Quest curriculum under the umbrella of the Dettol Clean Naija Initiative, aims to reach six million children by 2030, instilling lifelong hygiene habits by equipping them with essential lessons on handwashing and cleanliness and reducing absenteeism and hygiene-related diseases in children by 10%,” according to a statement by the company.
Since its inception in 2013, the Dettol School Hygiene Program through which the Dettol Hygiene Quest curriculum is used, has made a lasting impact, transforming hygiene practices in schools, homes, and healthcare facilities across Nigeria.
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Now in its third year with the WBFA, the program has conducted programs in Lagos, Kwara and Abuja in schools, hospitals and communities.
Over 269,758 school children have been taught the foundational principles of hygiene, 69,233 pregnant and lactating mothers have received evidence-based hygiene education, 32,928 community members have been empowered as health promoters within their households, and more than 2,300 healthcare workers have been trained to implement and sustain hygiene led care standards.
Speaking at the event, Cassandra Uzo-Ogbugh, head of External Affairs and Partnerships for Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “Hygiene education is the cornerstone of disease prevention, and through our continued collaboration with the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, we are making a tangible impact in fostering sustainable hygiene habits.
“Now in its 13th year, and having educated over 7 million children since then, we are proud to see the great impact the school hygiene program has delivered over the past years.
“With our implementation partners, the Wellbeing Foundation, we are proud of the impact in 2024; they include: In noticeable communicable diseases, a 34%, 22% and 16% decrease among students in Abuja, Kwara, and Lagos state, respectively. In the area of school absenteeism rate due to any illness, there was a 40.91%, 16.01% and 12.28% decrease in Abuja, Lagos and Kwara respectively.”
Uzo-Ogbugh stated that proper hand washing habits and wide-scale hygiene education can prevent many hygiene-related illnesses like diarrhoea and the flu. “I want to thank our partners, the Wellbeing Foundation, Governments and Facilitators across the states.
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“As we commence the 2025 session of the Dettol School Hygiene Program, we look forward to an even bigger positive impact on the health of our children and students, but we ask that everyone join in the fight to eradicate the prevalence of hygiene-related diseases”, she said.
In her address, Toyin Ojora Saraki, founder and president of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, said the the next implementation cycle is in threefold which includes, sustaining the quality and coverage of the programme with professional discipline; continuing to expand the year count and geographical reach, recognising the increasing demand for community-based hygiene education that is standardised and evidence-aligned.
And lastly, ”to ensure that our communication and advocacy fully reflect the complexity and ambition of this work. Public health is not advanced through proclamations alone, but through structured systems that educate, enable, and empower.”
“The WBFA Dettol Hygiene Quest is one such system, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that it endures, evolves, and delivers for the Nigerian children with us today, and generations”.
The event featured hand washing demonstrations, hygiene education sessions, and distribution of Dettol soaps and educational materials to the pupils.
