PURE &
CLEAN
CONTENTS EDITOR’S MESSAGE CONTAMINATED WATER WORMS ROB US OF GOOD HEALTH WASHING HANDS WITH SOAP GODDESS LAKSHIMI THE LOTUS FLOWER
BY BEING
CLEAN & PURE
WE CAN BE CLEAR ABOUT OUR INTENTIONS NOT
RESTRAINED BY GROSS & SUBTLE
IMBALANCES
EDITOR’S MESSAGE In May 2012, I was awarded the F. Grainger Marburg travel scholarship that allowed me to complete research work on the effectiveness of hygiene practices in rural communities in nepal. My research findings concluded that visuals and communication messages, used in Nepal at that time, were not effective as they were built on humiliation and shame. I then researched and developed a series of more appropriate communication messages directed towards improving hygiene practices. My hypothesis was that a tangible impact on change in personal hygiene behavior would be more likely to occur when visual messages were built on cultural norms, values and rituals. I pretested the visuals, received feedback from local communities and revised the communication messages making them culturally appropriate within the Nepalese context. According to the wisdom of Ayurveda, true beauty is what naturally arises from simple acts of reverent self-care. �Yet good hygiene is often neglected, seldom practiced and difficult to promote.� Good hygiene refers to the practice of keeping oneself and surroundings clean, particularly with regard to preventing illness and the spread of disease. Practicing good hygiene and sanitation breaks the chain of infection transmission. The purpose of the zine is to address key questions asked by community memebers and Nepalese organizations during my research work.
ONE
DROP OF CONTAMINATED
WATER CAN MAKE YOU SICK
34
CHILDREN
DIE EVERY DAY FROM
DIARRHEA RELATED DISEASES
IN NEPAL
45% HAVE ACCESS TO LATRINES
12% WASH HANDS WITH SOAP AFTER USING A LATRINE
WORMS
AMOEBAS PIN WORMS GIARDIA TAPE WORMS E. COLI ROUND WORMS
WORMS CAN BE IN
WATER
THAT LOOKS
CLEAN TO THE NAKED EYE
W ORMS
LIVE
QUIETLY
IN OUR BODIES
ATTACHING THEMSELVES TO THE INNER WALLS OF OUR
INTESTINES
WORMS FEED OFF THE FOOD WE DIGEST &
ROB US OF THE VITAL
NUTRIENTS
WE NEED TO ENJOY A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
WORMS ROB US OF OUR GOOD HEALTH The majority of people (85-90%) in our world have worms. Once inside our bodies, worms, such as the tapeworm, can live in us for up to 30 years. We may not even know they are in our bodies until we begin to feel sick. There are many types of worms that can enter our bodies in different ways. Scientists have identified over 300 types of worms. Even though they are not visible to the naked eye, humans get worms through water, food, or the soles of our feet. Intestinal worms find their way into the body through ingestion. Worms feed off the food we digest and use the nutrition in our bodies to grow and multiply. Increasing food intake is not enough for our body to grow healthy as the worms absorb nutrients from our food often causing internal bleeding.This infestation makes us more vulnerable to other diseases such as anemia and malnutrition.
CLEANLINESS
LIFTS OUR SELF-ESTEEM
& ENABLES US
TO REALIZE THAT WE ARE
WORTHY OF GOOD EXPERIENCES
WASHING HANDS WITH SOAP Hand washing with soap is the easiest and most effective way to prevent worms from entering the body. Washing w/soap before preparing or eating a meal, and after using the latrine, can prevent contamination. It is important to scrub hands for 20 seconds, paying special attention to removing dirt between fingers and from under the fingernails. Worms can linger in wet surfaces so it is important to rinse and dry hands fully after washing them.
GODDESS Lakshmi All of Lakshmi’s radiance is derived from a dynamic relationship between her inner and outer being. Lakshmi holds delicate pink lotuses, sacred flowers that grow through mud and water toward the sun. Confident in ever present abundance, Lakshmi has plenty to share and she reminds us that wealth, beauty, and fertility are always available to us through life’s energetic bounty.
ONE EMBODIES THE SPIRIT OF LAKSHMI
BY UNDERTAKING DAILY HEALTH
& HY GIE N E
ROUTINES WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT EACH PERSON IS A PRECIOUS UNIQUE MANIFESTATION OF
LIFE’S ENERGY
IS IT
NOT BY BEING
CLEAN THAT WE MAKE AN IMPORTANT OFFERING TO THE WO RL D ?
THE LOTUS FLOWER Untouched by impurity, the lotus flower symbolizes the purity of mind and body as it stands tall and undefiled in muddy waters. It maintains its cleanness by allowing water droplets to remove foreign materials from its surface. The lotus flower represents complete purification of mind and body. Floating above the muddy waters, it reminds us to keep ourselves clean and healthy in an unclean living environment. The key to hygienic success is in our hands. Purity is cleanness and if practiced daily will result in a change in habits and living environment.