Shoe 4 change and jiggers eradication campaign

Water 4 Smile organization is a nonprofit organization working in Siaya county. the organization have launched SHOE4 CHANGE AND JIGGER ERADICATION CAMPAIGN .

i am a community health volunteer and volunteering within water 4 smile organization .we have realized that there is a huge challenge of jiggers attacking children in the communities around Siaya county.

10 villages have been surveyed and we identified that children have been suffering from jigger infestation in silence. the effects of jigger infestation are not vague. With school going children dropping out of school.Jiggers are parasites which bury into the soles of feet and cause pain, sores and scabs. It’s very nasty and they are often cast out of the villages and are abandoned.

300 school children are affected . This is serious but can be prevented if they wear shoes.

• Creating jigger infestation awareness

• Provision of treatment and medication to over 1000 patients.

• Fumigating over 500 homesteads.

• Distribution of over 1000 pairs of shoes.

• Training and educating over 50 volunteers and social workers.

• Rescuing and referring severe jigger infestation to different hospitals.

• Initiated hygiene clubs in villages in Siaya .

Problem statement and justification
There are over 300 jigger infested children registered by water 4 smile and subsequent lack
of proper hygiene in Siaya County cause jigger infestation. Children barely concentrate in class, as
they are distracted by the pain caused by sores on their toes, soles of their feet and other parts of the
body making some of them disabled.Jiggers feed on blood hence causing malnutrition & hunger
As water 4 smile , we believe a healthy community is a wealthy community. We have realized that most of
the people’s expenses cater for medical bills and the root cause of most diseases is due to poor living
standards, sanitation issues.

Treating jigger infested children will end the pain caused by the sores on the child's toes, make them
to be healthier since jiggers deny the child necessary nutrients by feeding on the blood, spraying
homes will eradicate the jigger breeding grounds and by proving shoes to the treated children will
enable them not to expose their feet to dirt and dust which are jigger zones. Sensitizing the
communities will empower them to maintain proper hygiene.
In our project we are targeting the school going children and the infected community members. We
are to hold a one day event that is geared towards making an impact that is long lasting and
sustainable in the local community on the planned event, we will be raising awareness about jigger
menace and the child health.