No child should ever have to miss school due to preventable illnesses, but this is often the case with South Africa’s learners. That’s why Unilever South Africa, in a bid to improve children’s hygiene habits and keep them safer from germs at home and at school, has just launched a free interactive digital platform called Hygiene Heroes.
Hygiene Heroes helps children learn all about handwashing, toilet hygiene and oral hygiene through animated videos, quizzes, and interactive games. The journey begins with animated videos where colourful characters teach practical hygiene habits that children can easily understand. The real fun kicks off with the germ dodging game, where kids can compete against their friends and climb the leader board. At the end, there are interactive quizzes that allow them to test their knowledge.
Parents, guardians, and caregivers with internet access can sign up for free to the platform, play the games with their children and witness as they learn good hygiene habits and bring them into their homes and schools.
Hygiene Heroes will give parents and guardians an opportunity to spend quality time with their children engaged in a fun, learning activity that encourages good hygiene habits that keep the whole family healthier so they can continue to go about their daily lives without the stress and financial strain of family illness.
When parents sign up to the platform, their children will join over 6.2 million learners who have already gained the same hygiene education through the National Schools Hygiene Programme - presented by Unilever SA and the Department of Basic Education.
Unilever’s purpose strategy and partnerships lead, Queen Mgobhozi said; “The launch of Hygiene Heroes is particularly vital in this post pandemic era where we have seen a dip in awareness about good hygiene habits due to the lessened risk of contracting Covid 19; while the risk of other deadly infectious diseases that keep children from crucial learning remains. We believe that the launch of this fun learning platform can contribute to filling this gap by ensuring continual reinforcement of good hygiene habits using an always on educational and interactive digital platform.”
Issues such as post-Covid hygiene fatigue and lack of access to sanitation and water continue to affect the health and wellbeing of South Africa’s children, which often translates into school absenteeism.
By teaching kids basic hygiene from a young age, we can reinforce these important lessons early on and equip them with vital knowledge to protect themselves from illness-causing germs.
The World Health Organisation identifies invested stakeholder collaboration such as the Unilever and Department of Basic Education’s National Schools Hygiene Programme partnership, which promotes behaviour change as a solution to preventing illness caused by germs and keeping children in school, as vital to ensuring continued access to education and optimal health.
Visit Hygiene Heroes here
