On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a Zoom webinar titled, How can the water, sanitation and hygiene sector/WASH help to reach the WHO's 2030 NTD road map targets?

In this webinar, to be held at 8 am ET/2 pm GMT, World Vision's Zeinabou Mahamame, Cross-Sector Program Manager in Niger, will discuss how the NTD module of the WASHUp! program, supported by USAID's Act to End NTDs | West program, uses a fun, play-based curriculum involving Sesame Workshop's global health ambassador Muppet Raya to teach school children to use proper hygiene to prevent NTDs such as schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis.

World Vision in collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the Ministry of Education and local stakeholders contextualized school-based WASH curriculum in West Africa with important hygiene messages to prevent Schistosomiasis (SCH) and Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH), among other NTDs. The play-based curriculum, known as WASH UP! was created by Sesame Workshop and utilizes games, stories, songs and videos to help children learn about and practice healthy hygiene behaviors. Featuring Sesame Workshop’s global health ambassador Muppet Raya, WASH UP! teaches primary school-age children the importance of proper hygiene and encourages them to share their learning with their parents and peers and thereby expanding the reach of the program from schools to the community at large. The program is currently being implemented in 15 countries around the world. WASH UP! launched in 2017 in Niger and Ghana. This training marked the beginning of an expansion to the program to include Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). The pilot phase occurred in 25 schools in Maradi during the 2019-2020 academic calendar (October 2019-December 2019). As schools re-open, the program will scale up to additional 75 schools in the 2020-2021 academic year.

The WASH UP! NTD pilot is part of the USAID’s Act to End NTDs | West program. All WASH UP! content aims to promote positive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) attitudes and behaviors among children and their school communities, including those with disabilities, with a focus on vulnerable populations in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. Targeted behaviors in the WASH UP! curriculum include safe water and food practices, increased latrine use, improved waste management, consistent hand washing, good personal hygiene, and kindness to all, including those who are sick and/or disabled. The newest activities tested in November 2019 also aim to teach children how to prevent NTDs, with a focus on Bilharzia, (also known as Schistosomiasis), and Hookworm. The program’s aim is to target some of the lowest resource and most vulnerable communities in Niger, including those in and around Maradi, Niger, and to focus on both disease exposure, as well as specific water, sanitation and hygiene needs of primary school children (grades 1-4).

Make sure to watch the full webinar