Staff Reporter
Peshawar:
UNICEF’s Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sections, in collaboration with the SBC Cell, on Tuesday hosted a special awards ceremony to honor creative professionals championing WASH issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The winners included Amjad Hadi Yousafzai (Writer, Daily Times / Daily Siyaq), Khalida Niaz (Journalist, Human Online), Wisal Yousafzai (Journalist, The Express Tribune), Naveed Jan (Writer, Daily Express / Pakhtunkhwa Radio), Jalwat Huma (Social Media Influencer, Rangeet Welfare Organization), and Alfazal Min Allah (Social Media Influencer, Faizan Studio).
The ceremony followed a series of sensitization workshops conducted in late 2025, after which journalists, writers, and social media influencers produced more than 40 high-impact stories and digital pieces highlighting critical concerns such as access to clean drinking water and the eradication of open defecation.
Shields and certificates were awarded by Dr. Wasaf (WASH Specialist), Sohail Khan (SBC Specialist), and Asad Zia (Director General Health Services KP).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Wasaf praised the winners for their “excellent work” in translating complex WASH challenges into compelling public narratives. Sohail Khan emphasized that the initiative marked “not the end, but the beginning” of a sustained partnership aimed at long-term behavioral and social change.
A powerful piece of artwork created by Rangeet Welfare Organization on the theme of WASH remained the center of attraction and was widely appreciated by participants.
UNICEF officials said more collaborative activities are planned in the coming months, reaffirming their commitment to turning awareness into action across the province.
