Investing in knowledge
Knowledge of the link between hygiene, health and quality of life is key to progress, and with more than 500 million people using Essity’s products every day, the company is in a unique position to reach out to women, men, children, parents, relatives, healthcare professionals and caregivers across the globe. We have conducted hygiene education programs for many years, reaching millions of people. Below are some examples from 2015.
In Colombia, our joint-venture company Familia educated 107,000 expectant mothers about motherhood and pregnancy. Familia runs several other educational programs, such as teaching young girls about menstruation and puberty.
We provided training for 33,000 nurses worldwide in incontinence and skincare, for example, at this workshop in India.
In Malaysia, we educated 40,000 girls about menstruation and what happens in the body during puberty. The program was designed for primary schools with a focus on girls in the age range when menstruation often begins.
Our people teach children around the world about handwashing and in 2015, 37,000 children participated in different programs. One tool is “Ella’s handwashing adventure,” an app for iPad and Android devices that has become very popular. So far, the app has been downloaded 45,000 times. For slightly older kids (6-12 years old) there is a toolkit following a boy called Max. An international study of ours showed that one out of two parents believe that more education around hand hygiene in school would reduce sick days.