This is the story of how a mother, her children and their community learned more about the value of water treatment and handwashing. The story has a happy ending: the community strengthened healthy habits in this hot region of north-west Venezuela, where good hygiene is key to good health.
Healthy habits take centre stage
Even after the pandemic, handwashing with soap continues to be an important part of disease prevention. In Venezuela, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) works with local hygiene promoters whose connections to their communities help reinforce these key messages.
Clean hands bring health
Although he is only two years old, Matias is crystal clear: before and after eating, you always have to wash your hands. He learnt this important rule from his grandmother, Alba.
“I have tested him, and he asks me to wash his hands. If he is eating fruit and gets dirty, he also asks to be cleaned,” she says with pride.
Seven million people living in Venezuela need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations. In 2023, NRC reached more than 53,000 people with its projects, including 34,000 people supported with water, sanitation and hygiene services. A strength of this programme is the training of community promoters to amplify the messages.
Even after the pandemic, handwashing with soap continues to be an important part of disease prevention. In Venezuela, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) works with local hygiene promoters whose connections to their communities help reinforce these key messages.
Clean hands bring health
Although he is only two years old, Matias is crystal clear: before and after eating, you always have to wash your hands. He learnt this important rule from his grandmother, Alba.
“I have tested him, and he asks me to wash his hands. If he is eating fruit and gets dirty, he also asks to be cleaned,” she says with pride.
15 October is Global Handwashing Day. By marking this date, the United Nations aims to highlight handwashing as an effective and affordable practice to prevent diseases and save lives. NRC is using the opportunity to raise awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap and water.
Alba, a 53-year-old retired nurse, reinforced this message during the activities she conducted with NRC in her Wayuu community in the state of Zulia, Venezuela. The Wayuu are the largest indigenous people in Venezuela and Colombia. They live in La Guajira, a peninsula shared between the north-eastern extremes of Colombia and the north-western extremes of Venezuela.
“This hand looks clean, right? But I do not know how many bacteria are stuck in there because I greeted, hugged and touched,” she says. As a former nurse, Alba speaks with authority. She explains that handwashing “does not last a year, but only a few minutes”. With her hands, she demonstrates that the technique “is like riding a motorcycle, ra, ra, ra”.
A new companion: the home water filter
More than 500 people live in this indigenous community, which is characterised by large families. They make a living from trade, crafts, farming and fishing.
Many of these families drill artisanal wells in the backyards of their homes. The water here is only a few metres deep, and so it easily springs up. The families store it in containers and use it on a daily basis. Alba regrets that the lack of supplies to treat the water from the wells had brought some consequences for children's health in her community.
NRC organised handwashing sessions for more than 3,000 people in almost 40 communities in Zulia. We also delivered more than 2,700 water filters and showed community members how to use and maintain them. More than 100 of these devices are now installed in the homes of Alba’s neighbours.
The filter is a new addition to the family group made up of Alba, her husband, her children and her grandchildren.
“We learned about the importance of filtering and disinfecting water,” she says, while showing us the correct amount of chlorine to add and demonstrating how to wash the filter pot.
Health and love
NRC’s activities included key messages about separating solid waste and making the best use of organic waste. The soil and shoreline of the nearby beach look cleaner now.
“There was a change in the community’s behaviour. People are changing,” says Alba, who believes in caring for the environment.
To reinforce the message, the community created a dramatisation, reviewing all the healthy habits that had been strengthened. A teacher wrote the script and a cast of volunteers rehearsed it. They used recycled materials to simulate NRC vests and water filters. The performance was a welcome surprise when we concluded our activities in the area.
Life goes on in this hot region. It is time to eat, but first Matias washes his hands with care. “NRC’s activities in our community have brought mainly health,” says Alba. “Health and love,” she concludes.
