School Health and Hygiene for Mayan Children

This past month, our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project team has been busy installing soap dispensers. Partnering with Baobab, a soap company based in Guatemala City, eight beneficiary schools joined their Manos Felices (Happy Hands) program.

The Manos Felices program aims to cut rates of sickness in Guatemalan communities through the simple, but effective, act of handwashing. In rural communities where schools do not always have access to soap, Manos Felices bridges that gap by subsidizing costs to schools. Even more important, to use the Baobab soap, students don’t even need water.

Before joining Manos Felices, school teachers bought soap bars for students. This system wasn’t working, because sometimes the soap bars would simply “disappear.” . We have now installed soap dispensers with protective covers, so teachers can put Baobab soap into the dispensers.

Pablo Eulogio, Pueblo a Pueblo’s WASH Project Manager is very pleased with the Manos Felices program. “Baobab’s soap is very important to the beneficiary schools we work with,” explained Pablo. Schools like Panimaquip and San Juan Mirador Primary Schools do not always have running water, so students and teachers can’t always flush the toilets or wash their hands after using the bathroom. “Baobab’s soap can be used without water, so even if the water cuts off at the schools, children can still wash their hands and be protected against sickness and disease. Schools in communities from Cerro de Oro to San Juan Mirador now have a dependable supply of soap for students and teachers.”

Through a simple action, like handwashing, school communities are better able to prevent sickness. Thank you Baobab for your support!