…. Berbice students enjoy interactive workshop and tour of treatment plant
GUYANA Water Incorporated, the nation’s supplier of water and sanitation services, joined the World in observing Global Hand Wash Day with a special event in Berbice Thursday. Students of the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre were invited to the GWI “Global Hand Wash Day” workshop and toured the newly commissioned Queenstown Water Treatment Plant in Queenstown, Corriverton, Berbice.    

“We decided to take this activity to Berbice, since most of our World Water Day activities were focused in Georgetown earlier this year,” explains Chief Executive, Yuri Chandisingh.
“In tandem with our on-going school education programme, the workshop aimed to educate students of the centre about the dangers of bad hygiene by highlighting the significant deaths caused by diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections.” 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 3.5 million children under five die from diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections.
“These high child morbidity statistics can be significantly reduced through the simple act of washing our hands,” says the Chief Executive. “It was important for GWI to utilize this observance for continued public education on water and hygiene since our mission is to deliver safe, adequate and affordable water…for improved public health…hence the importance placed on the observance, since our overarching goal at GWI is to improve public health.”

The “Global Hand Wash Day” workshop included an interactive session with GWI’s Public Relations team, Berbice Operations team, and Scientific Services Manager, Savitri Jetoo.  The students participated in demonstrations on effective hand-washing and according to Jetoo, this was integral to the theme of this year’s Global Hand Wash Day, “Clean Hands Saves Lives”.  “It was important for the students to recognize that effective hand washing must include soap” stated Jetoo. “It is also important to wash under the nails and between the fingers where bacteria thrive.”

The workshop attendees also walked away with prizes, compliments of GWI, after successfully completing the one day workshop, and were provided with a tour of the Company’s newly commissioned Queenstown Water Treatment Plant which offered a keen illustration into the water purification process utilized by GWI. 

GWI’s “Global Hand Wash Day” workshop and tour forms part of the company’s country-wide school education programme “H2O Kidz ‘n’ Action” which was launched in Linden earlier this year.