<h3>Why Hygiene Matters</h3><p><strong>Hygiene</strong> means keeping ourselves, our food and our surroundings clean to prevent disease. In food production and handling, poor hygiene can spread harmful <strong>germs</strong> that cause illnesses such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera, and can make food unsafe to sell.</p><h3>Personal and Food Hygiene</h3><ul><li>Wash hands with soap and clean water before handling food, after using the toilet, and after touching animals or soil.</li><li>Keep utensils, surfaces and storage areas clean and dry.</li><li>Cover food to protect it from flies, dust and pests.</li><li>Use clean water for washing produce and cooking.</li></ul><h3>Cleaning Waste Disposal Facilities</h3><p>Facilities such as <strong>pit latrines</strong>, rubbish pits and dustbins must be cleaned and maintained regularly. They should be kept covered, disinfected where needed, and located <strong>away from water sources and the kitchen</strong> so they do not contaminate food or drinking water.</p><h3>Safe Waste Disposal</h3><p>Waste should be <strong>separated</strong>: organic food scraps can be composted to make manure, while other rubbish is buried, burned safely, or recycled. Letting waste pile up attracts flies, rats and disease.</p><div class="callout"><strong>Kenyan context:</strong> In many Kenyan schools and homes, simple <em>tippy-tap</em> handwashing stations made from a jerrican and a stick provide soap-and-water washing using very little water. Counties also encourage separating organic waste for compost, which both cleans the compound and produces free manure for kitchen gardens.</div>