Global Hand Washing Day in Za’atari Refugee Camp

Global Hand Washing Day is celebrated on October 15th each year to raise awareness that washing one’s hands with soap is a key means of preventing hygiene related diseases – everything from diarrhea to colds and flus.  The first Global Hand Washing Day was held in 2008.

[The Global Hand Washing Day Characters]

Cleanliness is an important part of religious life in Muslim countries such as Jordan and Syria.  However, making sure that kids in Za’atari Camp know the appropriate practices to wash their hands with soap so they can keep themselves healthy is a big part of what JEN team does on a daily basis. This year in Za’atari Camp, North Jordan, JEN celebrated Global Hand Washing Day with the youth.  JEN’s team has centered the messages around the most important times to wash hands with soap:  before eating, after using the toilet, after playing and touching dirty things.

The day was real fun! Kids seem to learn better by being engaged and active than by sitting still listening to lectures.  In two locations kids were invited from the neighborhood to join JEN’s team in playing games about hygiene and hand washing.

The kids seemed to really like when their hands were ink-stamped with colorful pictures of germs.  The next part of the activity was to blindfold three kids at a time and have them use soap and water to wash the germs off their hands.  The one who got the most ink off their hands or who demonstrated the best hand washing technique was declared the winner!

[Girls wash their hands while small boys watch]

The kids also enjoyed coloring and having help making pinwheels remind them of the times to wash their hands!

[Kids are reminded about the times to wash their hands with soap.]

Other highlights of the day included walking tours by staff members dressed as the Global Hand Washing Characters in JEN’s camp districts.  This live show has demonstrated to be a very effective approach to visually disseminate hygiene messages while playing with the kids. The disguised staff members have also showed freedom from social conventions or traditional ideas for being unrecognized animators while spreading the hygiene messages in the camp districts.

[ Children show of their clean hands with the Global Hand Washing Day Characters]

JEN’s other event, and perhaps the most popular, was to host football games:  “Soap” versus “Germs” with the kids.  Kids were given blue “Soap” ribbons and brown “Germs” ribbons to identify the two teams.  JEN staff refereed the games. Unfortunately the “Germs” won two out of three games!  However, JEN staff was very quick in overcoming the situation by presenting the lesson that “If you use soap to wash your hands, next time the germs won’t win!”

[ The "Germs" team gets the ball]

[Girls race to get the ball first]

The football matches were fun for spectators and adults as well.  Lots of kids cheered for their team.  Several community members stopped by to clap and cheer too!

[ Girls cheer for the "Soap" team]

And, at the end of the afternoon when all the community activities were finished the JEN staff lined up to take penalty kicks with some of the adults form the community!

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