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Helping to Keep Schools Clean

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In many of the countries affected by the spread of malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia, proper waste disposal isn’t available, putting people at high risk of contracting these diseases. YES alumni in Taraba State, Nigeria organized a discussion with teens to inform them of the importance of personal hygiene and keeping their school clean. Senior students at Raddai Metropolitan School attended the seminar on July 9th.

Students from Raddai first connected with alumni when they attended another workshop held earlier this spring. Teachers then invited the alumni back to the school to talk with more students and assess the school’s cleanliness.

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Alumni decided to work with the students at Raddai after examining the school because of the large student population and the need for an increase in school sanitation awareness. Outside, the school grounds were clean, but with such a large student demographic and limited waste bins inside, many of the classrooms became littered with paper and other trash.

After the seminar, alumni also donated 15 trash cans, dustpans and brooms to the school for the students to practice the tips they discussed about keeping classrooms clean. Munira Abdul (YES alumna 2012-2013, Nigeria, hosted in Burlington, IA by IRIS) spoke with the senior students with hopes the younger students at the school would take after their cleanliness example.

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“The group talked about cleanliness - keeping the body and the environment clean, the relationship between the body and the environment and the need to limit the rate of contracting disease both at home and in schools,” Munira said.

The people of Nigeria battle high risks of contracting diseases such as malaria. In the World Health Organization’s most recent report (2016), there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria, with 445,000 deaths reported. By keeping their schools clean, students can decrease their risk of coming into contact with malaria-carrying parasites who often seek out overflowing waste bins as food sources.


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