Africa: Millions Expected To Wash Hands for Healthy Living
By Henry Neondo
More than 200 million schoolchildren, parents, teachers, celebrities and government officials around the world are expected to lather up and wash their hands with soap as they mark the Global Handwashing Day (GHD) in bid to make the simple, life-saving practice of washing hands a regular habit.
The Handwashing Day is marked on October 15.
Each year, diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections are responsible for the deaths of more than 3.5 million children under the age of five.
In the Eastern and Southern Africa region (ESAR), more than 250,000 children die from diarrhoeal diseases every year, accounting for 15 per cent of all under-five deaths in the region.
Handwashing with soap (HWWS) is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrhoeal diseases. If practiced at the critical times - after using the toilet and before handling food – HWWS helps reduce the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases by nearly 50 per cent, and acute respiratory infections by about 25 per cent. Yet this simple behaviour is not practised regularly.
“Teaching children from an early age to wash their hands with soap and water will have a positive impact on their lives. Children can also be true agents of change and promote such a life saving behavior in their families and communities” said UNICEF Regional Director Elhadj As Sy. “Global Handwashing Day shines a spotlight on this simple practice, reminding us that the easiest and most affordable solutions can also be the most effective ones.”
Kenya will hold their national GHD celebration in the western town of Busia. Burundi will have various televised or radio-broadcast panel discussions led by key ministries and UNICEF.
In Eritrea, a mass media campaign will be translated into all 9 local languages. In advance of the day Ethiopia has been preparing the ground with information sessions for decision-makers at all levels of government, media and religious leaders.
Countries from Angola to Zambia will be broadcasting HWWS cartoons, jingles and announcements supported by a wide range of champions, including Pedrito do Bie, a young Angolan musician, the Wiggles, popular Australian children’s entertainers and UNICEF’s partner in raising awareness about HWWS, and not forgetting SOPO, an animated bar of soap who educates children about proper hygiene practices through an innovative cartoon series.
The power of the private sector will also be harnessed. For example in Angola 5 million HWWS text messages will be sent free of charge to users across the country. Zimbabwe will actively involve public transport in disseminating messages.
In Malawi, GHD will be “more than just a day” with the launch of a three-month intensive HWWS campaign aimed at community-based child care centres.
In Uganda GHD will help build towards the longer term behavioural change programming with the official launch of the national Handwashing with Soap Campaign in 29 of the country's 111 districts.
Throughout the region, children will also take the centre stage in many of the GHD celebrations. In Ethiopia, school children will take part in an essays, poems, drawing and songs competition.
In Madagascar, children will see the fun side of handwashing through the use of puppetry, demonstrations and music by local artistes. And in Zambia, one million pamphlets featuring “Sara”, the beloved cartoon character by children, will be distributed.