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Global
Hand washing Day 2012
UNICEF observes Global Handwashing Day on 15 October 2012. The yearly push from UNICEF to get us
all to to use soap and water on a regular basis in a bid to reduce communicable diseases.
Last month UNICEF put a report out showing around 2,000 children die
every day from diarrhoea around the world, and which suggests that most
of those deaths could be prevented by handwashing.
The United Nations' first Global
Hand washing Day was observed on 15 October 2008. Millions of children around the world are marking the United Nations' first Global
Hand washing Day. In India, cricket star Sachin Tendulkar will be leading the campaign that will see children across South Asia
simultaneously washing their hands.
The UN says it wants to get over the message that this simple routine is one of the most effective ways of preventing killer diseases.
More than 120 million children in 70 countries across five continents are expected to participate in the campaign.
India has recruited cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, to be the face of the campaign.
Washing hands will be the topic of Afghan television and radio talk shows and Pakistani newscasts.
Nepal's government is sending out mobile text messages. In Bhutan, special animated videos have been made with Bhutanese characters.
Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are the main cause for child deaths in India. Nearly half the population of South Asia has no access to toilets,
whilst in sub-Saharan Africa this figure is as low as 28%. With such poor sanitation standards, it is little surprise that children in the region are susceptible to
diarrhoea, hepatitis and pneumonia - often leading to their deaths, the UN says. The UN is celebrating 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation
Global
Hand washing Day 2012 in India
Nirmal Bharat Yatra, a government campaign to spread awareness about hygienic practices,
celebrates Global Handwashing Day on second day of yatra in Indore on Modnay. Handwashing experts claims
that handwashing with soap is the single most cost-effective intervention to reduce the occurrence of diarrhea. Since five years,
this superhero amongst hygiene practices is promoted through Global Handwashing Day, October 15.
Nirmal Bharat Yatra campaign started from Wardha in Maharashtra on
October 3. Yatra is now camped at Devgoradia Grampanchayat, Indore and
saw over 10,000 people attending on the first day of the carnival. An
additional 10,000 12,000 people are expected to attend the sanitation
and hygiene mela on Monday. From here Yatra will go to Kota in Rajasthan
on October 22 then to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on October 31. From there yatra will enter Uttar Pradesh with two day programme at
Gorakhpur on November 9 and finally it will culminate in Bettiah in Bihar on November 17.
WASH United and Quicksand Design Studio, group that are organising Yatra
with government of India, have teamed up with Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to
develop mela style mega campaign to address India's sanitation and hygiene crisis. |
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To create awareness on handwashing
To create awareness on handwashing using soap, the 'Global Handwashing Day'
celebrated on October 15 every year. The UNICEF is joining hands with the Government of India to reach out to nearly
two-crore school students through 10-lakh teachers. Some major diseases like
diarrhoea, which claims lives of about 1,000 children in the country every year, could be prevented if the simple practice of washing hands with soap was
inculcated, an official of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said.
Global Hand washing Day is the idea of the Public-Private Partnership for
Hand washing with Soap. Partners include the United Nations Children's Fund, American government agencies, the World Bank and soap makers Unilever and Procter and Gamble. The goal, they say, is
to create a culture of hand washing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing
disease-causing germs. They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails. Rub for at
least twenty seconds. Then, rinse well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth
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The Partnership for Hand washing says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the grease and dirt that hold most of the germs. And it
usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the likelihood that people will wash again.
The partnership says washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any vaccine or medicine. It
could help reduce cases of diarrhea by almost half. And it could reduce deaths from pneumonia and other breathing infections by one-fourth.
The Department of Drinking Water Supply and the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, are launching an
innovative national campaign to promote hand-washing with soap. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been roped in as the brand ambassador of the project, and would be featured promoting hand washing through a mass media campaign. |
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