During an impending hurricane, people are focused on survival and evacuation. However, once the storm has passed, there is a critical need for hygiene items. Following a natural disaster, proper sanitation and hygiene are critical to preventing the spread of disease. Distributing hygiene kits is one way we help hurricane survivors maintain good hygiene and avoid illness.
Following Hurricane Fiona, the The WASH Foundation, an evolution of Clean the World Foundation team in the Dominican Republic partnered with Hilton Supply Management and the Quimocaribe Company to distribute over 120 of our hygiene kits to orphanages and people affected by Hurricane Fiona in the province of La Altagracia. The contents of Clean the World’s hygiene kits vary and may include items such as a bar of our recycled soap, a hand towel, shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush, and razor. At the time of the hygiene kit distribution our team also distributed an additional 600 hundred bars of soap!
We also partnered with the Rotary Club to distribute soap and bags of food to families in six different communities in the easternmost part of the island. A total of 150 bags of food and 600 bars of soap were distributed to families in need.
Excessive rainfall during a hurricane often leads to flooding. Floodwaters, in turn, become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, leading to a surge in mosquito populations and mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue. In response, The WASH Foundation donated 4,349 mosquito nets to the Director of Risk Management for the Ministry of Public Health for further distribution.
With your support, we are reaching 1,000 in-need families in different regions throughout the Dominican Republic with hygiene products, meals and mosquito nets to combat Dengue and Malaria.
Photo credit: The WASH Foundation
