Global Handwashing Day 2009: focus on schoolchildren and swine flu

Updated - Friday 16 October 2009

Millions of children and adults in over 80 countries are celebrated the second annual Global Handwashing Day on 15 October 2009. About 200 million children took part last year.

Under the slogan ‘Clean hands save lives,’ events in 2009 will focus on schoolchildren as effective communicators and agents of change, who learn good hygiene practices at school and promote them at home and in their communities. Many countries will also be promoting handwashing with soap as a way to control the spread of the H1N1 virus (swine flu).

The annual observance was launched in 2008 as an initiative of the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap.

Planned activities in 2009 include educational programmes, demonstrations and performances in Japan, Guatemala and Mali. Nepal is promoting a handwashing song to be played during its annual Teej Festival. Côte d’Ivoire is training restaurant workers on handwashing techniques and prevention of H1N1, and the UK is hosting the Golden Poo Awards for animated films on handwashing.

Celebrations in India will take place on 27 October due to the Diwali holiday. There will be an attempt at establishing the Guinness World Record for highest number of children washing hands with soap.

Web sites:

Related news:

  • Hand-washing, face masks may halt flu transmission, WASH News International, 04 Aug 2009
  • Hygiene behaviour: an eleven country review of handwashing with soap, Source Weekly, 22 Apr 2009 ;
  • Hygiene: millions of children take part in Global Handwashing Day, Source Weekly, 07 Nov 2008

Source: UNICEF, 09 Oct 2009

Keywords


Comment