Last Updated on March 25, 2020, 6:22 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Boy and Girl Scouts in Haiti, have come to the streets with portable sinks to allow people passing by to wash their hands. The scouts are also trying to teach the people the importance of washing their hands to stay safe from the novel coronavirus.
There is a state of anxiety amongst the Haitians as Haiti is a densely populated nation and may the pandemic may have catastrophic effects on the country, given the lack of sanitation infrastructure and healthcare services.
Last week, the Haitian Authorities had declared a state of emergency and closed Haiti’s borders, schools and places of worship after the first two coronavirus cases were detected in the country. Since then, the number of confirmed cases of the virus has since risen to six.
The Scouts wearing khaki uniforms and colourful neckerchiefs started positioning themselves in dozens of locations on street corners all over the capital with portable wash sinks around two weeks ago.
The Scouts connect these portable wash sinks to the water supply of a local school, business or a church. If none of these would be available nearby, they use a simple bucket of water.
For the purpose of attracting people, at times, the Scouts play a catchy song by Haitian singer Jean Jean Roosevelt and mix zouk and Afro-Caribbean beats, with lyrics which encourage hygiene measures to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The novel coronavirus has already infected over 377,400 persons worldwide and killed more than 16,500 individuals.
The handwash stations have also been put in place in other parts of the country.
Even with these good steps being taken and efforts being made, a sad reality is that most of the Haitian population does not have running water or their own tanks to store water and they either have to buy tanks or, if they cannot afford to buy them, they have to use springs. The water in them is often contaminated.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
