THE SOLOMON Islands Red Cross (SIRC) is preparing to upgrade hygiene in various schools in Honiara this year.

Coordinator Support Community Planning Hexley Ona explains that the NGO will help school kids improve personal hygiene through the Child Hygiene and Sanitation Training programme (CHAST).

CHAST which is scheduled to begin in August and will be implemented for the first time in schools “is a hygiene promotion methodology aiming to promote good practices among school-age children. “

“It incorporates in its methodology the concept of “Child to Child” approach which encourages active interaction and impacts among children of the same age group through the exchange of knowledge they acquire and expression of opinions and through instruction to other children, through example setting and behavior modeling,” a statement from SIRC reads.

SIRC also upholds that improvement in the knowledge and practices of protective hygiene behaviors among children is a key component of all basic health, water and sanitation programmes.

SIRC is working in collaboration with the French Red Cross since 2007 to support communities maintain safe water sources and environmental sanitation, most importantly to practice healthy hygiene behaviours.