PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR WOMEN (Part 2 of 8) Introduction to Hygiene

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Welcome the participants
• Introduce the course (the general objective, the number of sessions, the expected outcome)
• Introduce today session (objective and how long it will be)

Ice-breaking game (10 minutes)

• Pair the participants
• Give all the pairs 5 minutes to know each other. They must share their name, their favorite color, favorite food, etc.
• After 5 minutes, ask each pair to come forward. Ask them to introduce their new friend to everyone by sharing the information s/he learned.
• Make sure when each pair is done presenting, others are clapping to encourage them.

Main activity (70 minutes)

Part 1: What is hygiene? (35 minutes)

• Explain to the participants: as the source of water was far away, it is likely that people did not collect enough water to use for their regular use, such as washing hands after going to the washroom, before cooking, taking shower, washing clothes, etc. As a result, with their dirty hands and unclean food, germs entered the bodies. Introduce to the participants what is hygiene. For this, rather than going straight to the definition, take an approach of disseminating your message through stories that they can relate to. Start by telling this story:

Amina observed that many around her were getting ill. Starting from members of her family to neighbors, all suffered from similar symptoms as feeling feverish, having severe headaches or stomachaches, and feeling tired throughout the day. She also noticed that people had to walk a long distance to collect water from the tube well. Also, the village people had to wait in long lines for a long time to take a shower.

• Now ask the participants: “why do you think the village people getting sick?”

Tips: Do not pressurize them if they are hesitant to say something. Encourage them to speak. On the other hand, if someone tries to share her answer, praise her so that others also get motivated to participate in the discussion.

Germs are tiny organisms that cause diseases in humans, plants, or animals. They are so tiny that they cannot be seen with our eyes. Rather can only be seen through a microscope. When germs enter our bodies, they start multiplying in number. These germs start weakening our immune system and we get sick because of that.

• At this stage, relate how they also need to stay clean and maintain proper hygiene to stay healthy. Describe what is hygiene:
  • Hygiene is the practice of keeping ourselves and our surrounding environment clean, especially to prevent illness or the spread of diseases. Taking care of ourselves and keeping our body and surroundings clean will ensure we have healthy lives.

• If needed, explain one more time so that everyone has understood. Ask the participants if they have understood, ask them to explain to you and to the other participants what they understood, congratulate everyone who gives a correct answer, and corrects it if necessary (without noticing who made the mistake)

Part 2: Importance of Personal Hygiene (35 minutes)

In this section, we will explain to the participants through discussion the importance of maintaining personal hygiene.

• Divide the participants into 2 groups and give them 10/15 minutes to discuss the importance of staying healthy and how they can ensure that.
• After 10/15 minutes, ask each team to come forward and present the summary of their discussions with others. Always request the group to clap to encourage them to open up and share.

Finally, summarize the discussion by showing picture 1.1 (Attached as PDF)
For this, summarize all the ideas discussed and also the facts which did not get shared, you can give an explanation which should include: washing hands, taking shower, brushing teeth, wearing clean clothes, washing clothes regularly, taking proper rest and sleep, regular exercise.

Conclusion (5 minutes)

• Thank the participants for their involvement and concentration during the session.
• Summarize what was learned during the session: today we learned about hygiene and the importance of staying clean
• Explain how by being part of this course they will be able to adopt healthy lifestyles which will keep them away from germs
• Collect feedback from the participants by asking the questions: “Do you think this new knowledge can be useful to you?”, “Were you comfortable during the session?”

Give the participants the date and the location of the next session, make sure everybody will be available. If not, find a more convenient time and place so everybody can be here.