Vanuatu Hygiene Carnival

During the in-service program to launch the Arts for Advocacy guides in Vanuatu student WASH Clubs from five schools decided to host a joint Hygiene Carnival Parade to promote Global Hand-washing Day and World Toilet Day.

WASH Clubs and hygiene teachers from each school chose a key hygiene message to share creatively in the carnival. The key messages included:

• Washing hands saves lives
• Handwashing with soap kills germs
• Good handwashing practice keeps us health
• A good clean toilet has a handwashing station and soap too
• A good school has a good WASH program
• Bad bugs kill
• A good toilet saves lives

The WASH Clubs in each school found many creative ways to share their message, using the Arts for Advocacy tools. The students made costumes to represent different types of germs that can cause disease if we don’t wash our hands with soap after going to the toilet or before preparing food. Other students carried placards with hygiene messages about the importance of having access to safe, clean toilets.

Over 500 students from Suango, Melemaat, Sorovanga, Vila North and Anamburu schools marched through town sharing creative banners, costumes and chanting slogans to promote the theme of “Clean Hands, Our Future.” The community and private sector was also involved in the event, with Colgate Palmolive sending its hygiene octopus character to march in the parade. Also, the National Health Promoting School Committee representatives marched with the children. The schools plan to conduct the Hygiene Carnival again in 2018.