The first lady, Janet Museveni, agreed to become a sanitation advocate during a meeting with the Sanitation Working Group at State House on 09 February 2009. “You have my assurance that I will be there for you,” she said. “We are working towards the same target, but we need to be serious and achieve measurable and tangible impacts.” Mrs. Museveni was responding to an appeal by the group to become a promoter of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Campaign.

The head of the group, Sam Mutono, said poor sanitation was one of the leading causes of infant mortality. “In Rukungiri where the latrine coverage is 99%, households still suffer from waterborne diseases,” he said, adding that this was because washing hands was not emphasised. He said Mrs. Museveni should mobilise resources to promote the cause.

The sanitation group comprises the ministries of health, education, water and environment. It is supported by non-governmental organisations like WaterAid, Africare, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Source: Gerald Tenywa , New Vision, 10 Feb 2009

Tags: africa, hygiene promotion, sanitation