Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT) is encouraging rural communities to practice simple personal hygiene method as a way to prevent COVID-19.

SIDT gave this encouragement during the deployment of volunteers for COVID-19 awareness for communities around Guadalcanal province.

Disaster Program Manager for SIDT Jamal Namo said SIDT is already working on developing projects with communities based on good health and hygiene.

But he said at this point of time they need to ensure communities are practicing good hygiene. He said so far they have reached many rural communities through a WASH project.

Namo said they are keeping track of the communities that are still practising good hygiene.

“Hygiene has always been our priority. But since the COVID-19 pandemic it is now a national concern. We will make sure every rural community practice the simple steps of good hygiene”.

Namo said the message to rural communities is simple, good hygiene starts with the washing of hands.

He said SIDT’s aim was to raise peoples standard of living through this simple method since they are challenged with lack of sanitation facilities.

“Over the past few years we did awareness programs and found most of the rural communities have an issue with sanitation”, Namo said.

SIDT is deploying volunteers to do awareness on WASH and Covid19 related issues.

Their program started on Guadalcanal over the weekend.