Sawa, Rotary District 9216 and Kentainers Limited Partner to Promote Better Hygiene in Schools
Pwani Oil Products Limited, through its Sawa brand, partnered with Rotary District 9216 and Kentainers Limited to mark Global Handwashing Day 2026 through a school-based hygiene education initiative promoting proper handwashing and good hygiene practices among children at Embakasi Primary School, Nairobi.
Held on 15 October 2026, the initiative focused on educating school-going children on the importance of regular handwashing with soap and maintaining good personal hygiene at school.
As part of the activity, Sawa distributed soap and fun, child-friendly educational materials to learners to reinforce hygiene messages and make learning about proper handwashing engaging and memorable. The materials helped communicate the importance of adopting positive hygiene habits within the school setting.
Kentainers Limited complemented the hygiene education efforts by providing water tanks to the school, supporting water storage for hygiene practices. Rotary District 9216 partnered in the initiative, supporting community engagement and the promotion of proper handwashing and hygiene education.
The collaboration highlighted the importance of combining hygiene awareness with practical resources that enable children to put what they learn into practice. By supporting hygiene education and water storage at the school, the partners contributed to efforts to promote a healthier school environment.
“Good hygiene starts with simple everyday habits. By helping children understand the importance of proper handwashing and personal hygiene, while supporting the resources needed to practice them at school, we can encourage a healthier school environment,” said Anthony Chege, the Sales Team Lead at Pwani Oil Products Limited.
The need for sustained hygiene education remains significant in Kenya. According to recent UNICEF data, only 38% of the population have access to basic handwashing facilities with soap and water at home[i]. This highlights the importance of initiatives that promote practical hygiene habits and reinforce the role of soap in everyday life. The World Health Organization further identifies handwashing with soap as an effective way to prevent diarrhoeal disease, while UNICEF reports that it can reduce the risk of diarrhoeal by at least 40%[ii].
The initiative aligned with Global Handwashing Day 2026’s “Be a Handwashing Hero!” theme, reinforcing the importance of proper handwashing and demonstrating how collaboration between the private sector and community organisations can support practical hygiene initiatives in schools.