NEWS DIGEST – The Initiative for the Prevention of Malaria (IPM), an NGO, on Thursday inaugurated 20 pupils of Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Jabi, in Abuja as malaria prevention marshals.
The National Coordinator of IPM, Mrs Nnenna Didigu, who decorated the pupils in their school, said that the newly inaugurated the pupils would teach their colleagues and immediate communities about how to keep their surroundings clean and dry.
She said that instead of distributing mosquito nets, the organisation decided to introduce public sensitisation and environmental cleanup campaign in primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions as its core malaria preventive measures.
She said that IPM had been educating the pupils on environmental hygiene and cleaning since October, 2017.
“We taught them on environmental advocacy and sensitisation as well as how to sanitise and clean their environment,’’ she said.
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Didigu, who described the pupils as the agents of change who also learned fast, expressed the hope that they would influence their colleagues and immediate communities on the need to keep the environment dirt-free.
She said that efforts to keep the environment clean and dry would prevent the outbreak of sicknesses and reduce number of patients in the hospitals.
“Students will not be away from classes due to sickness if they sanitise their school premises and immediate communities,’’ she said.
Mr Aghogho Gbetsere, the Principal Environmental Health Officer, Federal Ministry of Environment, commended IPM for educating the pupils on the need to keep their surroundings clean so as to promote healthy living.
“What IPM is doing is a good step in a right direction because it is good for the young to know that environmental sanitation is very important to human health,’’ Gbetsere said.
Speaking on behalf of the decorated pupils, Marvel Effiong, a Class Five pupil, thanked IPM for choosing them as malaria prevention marshals in the school.
Effiong, who said they were proud to be IMP marshals, pledged that they would teach their colleagues and immediate communities about environmental sanitation issues.
