Joint Efforts to Save the Environment (JESE) has intensified efforts to promote sanitation and hygiene among school-going children through inter-school handwashing competitions held in Kamwenge District and Kitagwenda District.
The initiative, implemented under a Protection and Equitable Water Resources Programme, is funded by Join For Water in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Environment.
It brought together pupils from four primary schools: Busabura and Bunoga Primary Schools in Busiriba Sub-county, Kamwenge District, as well as Nyakera and Nyakacwamba Primary Schools in Kitagwenda District.
The competitions featured football matches for boys and netball games for girls, creating an engaging platform to pass on key messages about hygiene and environmental conservation.
Before the games, pupils participated in a community clean-up exercise, collecting polythene bags, plastic bottles, and other solid waste materials that pose a threat to the environment.
This was followed by a health education session focusing on proper sanitation, hygiene practices, and protection of water resources.
Speaking during the event, Samuel Tinkasimire Tusime from the Ministry of Water and Environment under the Albertine Water Management Zone emphasized the importance of involving children in such initiatives.
“Involving pupils in activities like these creates a friendly and practical learning environment. Children are powerful change agents who can transfer knowledge to their peers and communities, helping to improve sanitation and hygiene practices,” he said.
James Baguma commended JESE and its partners for introducing the initiative in schools, noting its potential to improve public health.
“This programme is timely and important. By empowering pupils with knowledge on sanitation and environmental conservation, we are laying a foundation for reducing diseases associated with poor hygiene and waste management,” he said.
The Communications and Advocacy Manager at JESE, Caroline Athieno, applauded the participating schools and encouraged pupils to extend what they had learned beyond the school environment.
“We are impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the pupils. We urge them to continue sharing this knowledge with their families and communities so that together, we can achieve better sanitation and hygiene standards,” she said.
Winning teams were awarded trophies, while each participating school received two balls and two sets of sports uniforms to support co-curricular activities.
The campaign forms part of activities marking Uganda Environment Week, with pupils also engaging in a school parliament session to discuss sanitation and hygiene challenges affecting their communities.
JESE, founded in 1993, focuses on community-based development, natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and continues to mobilise communities to ensure equitable access to safe water and improved sanitation practices.