Project HEALTH and HYGIENE

The slum children live in an environment that lacks sanitation, safe drinking water, proper garbage collection, and a proper drainage system. As children living in slums are more prone to fall sick primarily due to a lack of proper hygiene and health practices, it is of utmost importance to imbibe good hygiene habits. We give lessons to our students on washing their hands periodically before and after meals, after using toilets, and before preparing food at home, at schools, and in public places. In addition to that, we make them aware of the importance of good oral health practices. We encourage our students to brush their teeth properly and regularly. In order to give them a clear understanding of how to properly wash their hands and brush their teeth, our teachers give visual demonstrations to the students. Hashimukh is in collaboration with various renowned social clubs like Lions Club, and Rotary Club which both sponsor and participate in programs organized by Hashimukh to encourage our children to practice good hygiene. 

Hashimukh carried out a six-month assessment to see the impact of the health and hygiene lesson imparted to the students. The results revealed that the percentage of students who remain absent due to diseases like cold, fever, influenza, and other viral diseases has significantly declined. The results further show that good hygiene practices among the students had a ripple effect on the community they live in; the number of people living in slums falling sick declined. 

Alongside giving lessons to the student on good hygiene practices, we raise awareness among female students about the utmost importance of menstrual hygiene. Given their socioeconomic background, most of the girls cannot afford sanitary napkins, and therefore resort to other unhygienic and unsafe means. In an effort to promote the use of sanitary napkins, Hashimukh took the initiative of distributing free sanitary napkins periodically to female students and their mothers, aiming to familiarize them with the product and highlight the advantages of using pads during menstruation. This endeavor has proven successful, as they have now adopted the good practice of using sanitary napkins instead of relying on old clothes. To further support this positive change, an arrangement has been made in collaboration with Square Toiletries Limited to provide them with sanitary napkins at a reduced price compared to the prevailing market rates.

Hashimukh also arranges periodic free medical check-up camps for the students in collaboration with medical student volunteers and/or other organizations. So far do date a total of 10000 people including our students received benefits from these health camps.

After Covid, in 2002 Hashimukh collaborated with Senora, Square Toiletries Ltd. to organize health camps quaterly under the project Urban Health Development to provide free medical check-up camps for students and their families. Hashimukh even organizes health camps occasionally for the adolescents, boys   & girls of other schools & organizations. 

After the pandemic, the first health camp was organized on 17th March 2022, where Hashimukh Somaj Kallayan Songstha has successfully conducted day-long program on Adolescent and Reproductive Health, General Adolescent Problems, Hygiene and Self-Care, Self-Defense Strategies, Nutrition and Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Help Seeking and FAQ for the underprivileged children. More than 400 participants have joined & benefited from the health camp.

Hashimukh organized its second medical camp on 26th November, 2022 for students and parents. The camp included free medical check-ups and consultations by skilled practitioners, sessions on Mental Health for adolescent students, and Reproductive, Sexual, and Menstrual Health Hygiene. Barrister Miti Sanjana, a renowned advocate and media personality, conducted an insightful session on women’s rights and safety, addressing important societal issues. Sanitary pads sponsored by Senora Confidence were distributed, and distinguished guests including UNDP Head of Communications, CEO of New Visions Ltd, Country Director of Safety Net, and others shared words on primary health care, child marriage, and mental health. Over 600 people attended, including popular actress and model Farzeen Feroze Nova and Dr. Md Riazul Haque, a professor at Dhaka University.  More than 600 participants benefited from the health camp. 

The third health camp was held on 17th March 2023, National Children’s Day, and the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation that was sponsored by Senora and food supported by Well Food. It was led by Nusrat Akter, President and Co-Founder of Hashimukh. Distinguished guests, including Professor Nasreen Ahmed, former Pro-VC of Dhaka University and Principal Advisor of HSKS, Barrister Ahsan Habib Bhuiya, founder of the “Poriborton Kori” Foundation and “Poriborton Legal,” and Professor Dr. Md. Riazul Haque from the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, graced the event. The camp had a segment where free medical treatment and medicines were provided to the students and their families. hygiene promotion, and awareness-raising on mental health and other essential information for. A quiz competition on primary health education was also held among students, adding an interactive element to the event. Senora awarded scholarships to the top three female students who scored the highest marks in the quiz competition. The health camp aimed to promote a healthy lifestyle, particularly among underprivileged children and their families, and create awareness about various social issues among 600 participants who joined in this health camp. 

Our fourth health camp was held on  August 5th, 2023 where Hashimukh conducted its  Urban Health Camp and Social Awareness Session, at BCSIR School on Central Road. This event was graciously sponsored by Senora and featured a diverse range of impactful activities. Attendees, almost 750 including students and their families from both Hashimukh and BCSIR School, received primary health check-ups, complementary medicines, and sanitary napkins courtesy of Senora.The health camp commenced with an informative session on menstrual and reproductive health and hygiene, led by experienced medical professionals. Subsequently, the second session, conducted by the “Kaan Pete Roi” Mental Health Department of Sajida Foundation, highlighted the crucial connection between extracurricular activities and mental well-being.The event’s third session welcomed esteemed guests, including Saeed Jaralla from the Qatar Embassy as a special guest, along with Nazirullah Obhi from DMP, who provided insights into juvenile crime. Professor Dr. Syed Mozaffar Ahmed from BSMMU shared valuable information on health and well-being. Syed Nurul Islam, CEO of Well Food, Rizwana Tabassum from World Bank, Sanjay Chakraborty from Save the Children, and Riazul Haque, a Professor of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka, were among the notable attendees who contributed their expertise to address critical societal issues.  Zonta Club 4’s noteworthy involvement marked a significant milestone in providing sanitary pads to Hashimukh’s female students throughout the year. To promote health awareness, an engaging quiz competition was organized, awarding scholarships for one year to the top three adolescent girls with the highest scores, generously sponsored by Senora. The event concluded with the distribution of free medicines and Senora napkins to attendees from Hashimukh, BCSIR School, and their respective families. HSKS contributes to healthcare to promote future efficient Human resources.

On 26th October, 2023 Hashimukh Somaj Kallayan Songstha organized their fifth Health Camp and Awareness Session with the support of Senora at SOS Children’s Village. The health camp and awareness program provided different sessions on essential hygiene-related knowledge to around 100  beneficiaries including the adolescent boys & girls of SOS children’s village,SOS team and Hashimukh team. The awareness session was split into a few sessions emphasized on Health & Hygiene, mainly focused on menstruation health run by our Hashimukh team. The first session was on “Building confidence & self-esteem, empowerment and well-being”. The second session was about “Importance of health & hygiene and puberty”. The third and final session was on “Menstruation health & hygiene” which was about menstruation hygiene and common myths and misconceptions about menstruation. This session was about to making adolescents aware of their menstruation health and what is menstruation, the menstruation cycle, why and how they should use Senora, and lastly the use of Sepnil soap before and after using Senora to maintain hygiene.  Notably, there was a question-answer session where we connected with the students. At the end of the event, Senora Napkins & a Sepnil soap were distributed to all the childrens who attended the session.Hashimukh organized the Senora Health Camp and Social Awareness Session at Meherunnesa Girls School & College in Dhaka on 19th November 2023. Hashimukh Team started the session with an overview of Hashimukh’s initiatives for underprivileged children, elaborating on five core projects. Subsequent sessions covered health and hygiene insights, puberty, and a broader discussion on menstruation awareness.  As of today, HSKS has distributed more than 20,000 free sanitary napkins, promoting essential hygiene practices among the students and their mothers.