Special Needs Primary Student Details Impact of Hygiene Awareness Activities

Creating an inclusive learning environment is the first step toward fostering a sense of respect and belonging among children with disabilities.

Jenar Haji, an eight-year-old special-needs student, lives in Borek complex with her family. Due to years of relocation and restricted access to her needs in the displacement camps, she longed for a place where she could experience the same freedom and rights as everyone else. Eventually, Jenar and her family returned to their village after the liberation of Sinjar, and she began her schooling in Borek.

"I wake up early every day to have my brother drive me to school, since I can't walk long distances," Jenar explains.

Jenar had a difficult time finding information about hygiene and sanitation procedures in the classrooms. As a child with special needs, she is curious to learn more about how to manage personal hygiene for herself, access public hygiene facilities, and protect herself and her family from water pollution illnesses, such as cholera.

Last year, Nadia's Initiative launched a campaign to promote hygiene awareness among students like Jenar. The campaign's scope included the delivery of hygiene kits with essential supplies, as well as classroom workshops in 35 schools across Sinjar.

“I finally have answers to all of my hygiene questions. I’ll share them with my family, as well as my community. After joining this, I realized that I, like my other peers, had the same right to clean and adequate WASH facilities.”

Nadia's Initiative is working to restore clean water in Borek complex. The Initiative has already constructed two new boreholes, two new pump rooms, transformers, and a concrete water storage tank. In the coming months, the Initiative will begin work on rebuilding Borek’s internal water network.