Body care and hygiene: an essential part of schoolchildren’s health

Having learned about children’s rights in the first session, it’s now time to tackle another subject that’s fundamental to their well-being. With this in mind, a team from Centre Kekeli travelled to Kpala for the second session of the PPEE School Child Protection Program: body care and hygiene. Body hygiene plays a key role in preventing disease and maintaining a healthy environment for oneself and others.

With 604 participants, including 294 girls and 310 boys, the debate focused on five key words:

• Intimacy: this is my secret, what I don’t want others to see. I have to protect my privacy, it’s part of my private life.
• Modesty: that uncomfortable feeling I get when people see me naked. I need a little modesty to dress well and look presentable in front of others.
• The body: it’s my organism, my envelope. I have to love it and take care of it, it’s precious and unique, I’ll grow up with it and keep it all my life, it’s sacred.
• Hygiene: this means upkeep and cleanliness. I have to wash myself every day, and washing is a personal act (which I do alone and out of sight of others).
• Private property: itis what belongs to me and no one else. It’s what belongs to me, and no one has the right to touch what belongs to me unless I give them permission.

Children need to understand the connection between each word:

I have to take care of my body to maintain good personal hygiene. Hygiene is a personal matter, and I must wash myself to preserve my privacy. My body belongs to me and no one can touch me without my consent. I must dress so as not to be embarrassed by others, and not to embarrass others. This modesty will protect my intimacy, my secrets. My private parts belong to me and I must take care to protect them from all malicious intent. .

Finally, the children memorized a phrase that summed up the session, to help them retain the main message: “My body is mine, I accept it, I protect it and I take care of it. No one can hurt me. No one has access to my body without my permission.”

See you next month for another session.

Aspirante Colette