Many young people from the local Mission, in a precarious situation, do not have the means to buy the products necessary to ensure basic hygiene, such as soap or shampoo. “When they have a little money, they prefer to use it to buy food, which is completely normal,” says Jaqueline Kassim, project manager at the local Mission. This is why the structure had selected 33 young people this Friday, June 28 in the morning, already accompanied or simply coming through “word of mouth”, to distribute “hygiene kits” to them. These contained basic hygiene products like shampoo, shower gel, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, razor and a pack of sanitary napkins for the girls. “It is important for a young person to be clean, especially during possible job interviews. In addition, being clean can help improve their self-confidence,” said Jacqueline Kassim.
This distribution of “hygiene kits” was accompanied by a workshop led by members of the Santé Sud association (SOS group) to explain hygiene actions and the use of the products. “Apart from the question of insecurity, it often happens that too much modesty prevents parents from educating their children to cleanliness once they grow up and young people do not dare to broach the subject with their parents either” , explains Jacqueline Kassim.
3 workshops dedicated to hygiene
This Friday’s workshop concerned personal and oral hygiene in general. A second will take place soon and will consist of a visit to the Mayotte soap factory to see how soaps are made. It will continue with a 3th, dedicated to learning how to make artisanal soap. “Natural methods for hygiene can be good, but not always. This is why it is important to show them how to make their own products without harming their health,” explains the project manager.
An initiative which was favorably received by the young people, after the Santé Sud facilitators succeeded in getting them to abandon their resistance thanks to a constructive educational dialogue. Santé Sud and the Local Mission intend to continue their workshops and the distribution of kits throughout Mayotte over the coming weeks. The objective is to reach a total of 800 young people aged 16 to 25.
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