ISLAMABAD: Reckitt Benckiser (RB) was invited to share their signature program on diarrhoea reduction, ‘Safai Nama’, at the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) being held in Serena Hotel in Islamabad. RB Pakistan’s Safai Namaunder their global “Save a Child Every Minute” campaign aims to reduce the infant mortality rate due to diarrhoea for children under the age of 5.
Safai Nama uses the seven-point plan prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF to educate and encourage rural households for better health and hygiene. The aim is to reduce deaths caused by diarrhoea by making people adopt healthier practices as part of their daily routines.This eventually helps reduce the daunting number of 53,000 children dying because of the disease every year.
SACOSAN is a government led biennial convention, held on a rotational basis in each member country which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This year Pakistan is hosting the conference for the second time. SACOSAN has been instrumental in generating a political will and commitment towards better sanitation and hygiene promotion in the South Asian region over a decade. It acts as a great forum for all member countries to shareexperiences, lessons and best-in-class examples for others to adopt and execute. RB’s Safai Nama program being implemented in partnership with the government and social sector is one of such example being shared.
“RB envisions a world where people are healthier and live better. This defines our purpose to make a difference by giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes. ‘Save a Child Every Minute’ is providing the much-needed knowledge and awareness to the rural communities. I am very proud to present the success of this initiative in Pakistan at the SACOSAN”, stated Sandra Hennessey, Global Charity Partnerships Manager, RB.
“Safai Nama is part of our bigger national initiative, Hoga Saaf Pakistan. This specific program has been flaring quite well in partnership with the HUD & PHED department of the Punjab Government along with the social sector to educate rural communities on health and hygiene. RB Pakistan is committed to ensure a healthier, cleaner Pakistan and will keep on ensuring efforts like these to bring in sustainable change for the betterment of our country,” said Fahad Ashraf, Chief Executive RB Pakistan. News Desk
