In a bid to empower the women of rural areas of Punjab, the Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan has launched a project 'Hope' aiming at transforming rural women as change agents within their own communities and inspiring others to live healthier lives.
Talking to the journalists here at his office, Fahad Ashraf, Chief Executive of RB Pakistan said that Project Hope aims at helping low-income households help themselves and encourage long-term positive change within their communities.
"The project is being implemented in two ways through community awareness sessions for women and children that advocate hygienic practices needed to prevent diseases like diarrhea and by training some of these women to become 'Sehataapas' (health sisters) who go door-to-door within their community to reinforce the messages taught in the awareness sessions", he apprised.
While reinforcing, he informed, they provide quality health & hygiene goods - including bar soap and other basic hygiene products (pest control, oral care, etc.) - at low cost, within the community to help them stay healthier and improving their own household income.
He said Reckitt Benckiser, Pakistan and other product partners including Shield Corporation, Shan Foods, and Santex with support from the UK Department for International Development-funded Business Innovation Facility (BIF) and Rural Support Program Network (RSPN) have been piloting Project Hope for the past one-year rural areas in Pakistan.
Since a door-to-door hygiene awareness program is conducted, Fahad mentioned the provision of these hygiene products as solutions served as a reinforcement of hygiene message.