Overview of Global Handwashing Day
Global Handwashing Day is an international observance dedicated to promoting the importance of hand hygiene. Celebrated annually on October 15, it aims to raise awareness about the role handwashing plays in preventing diseases and saving lives. The day serves as a reminder that regular handwashing with soap is one of the most effective ways to prevent illnesses, such as diarrhea and respiratory infections, especially among children. It encourages governments, schools, and communities to foster a culture of cleanliness and hygiene. Read on as we discuss the theme, significance, history of this day, and tips to ensure you wash your hands properly.
Theme of 2024 event
Every year, the Global Handwashing Partnership leads a worldwide day of action to highlight the importance of handwashing as a simple and cost-effective method to combat germs. This year’s Global Handwashing Day theme, “Why are clean hands still important?” underscores the critical role hand hygiene plays in preventing infections.
Significance of Global Handwashing Day
The significance of Global Handwashing Day lies in its emphasis on a simple yet crucial action—handwashing—to protect health. Proper hand hygiene can reduce the risk of transmitting infections and diseases, making it a powerful tool for public health. The day highlights the importance of clean hands in preventing outbreaks and pandemics, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare. By promoting handwashing, the day contributes to improving overall health outcomes and reducing preventable deaths, especially in vulnerable populations such as children under five.
History
Global Handwashing Day was first initiated in 2008 by the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP), a coalition of international organizations dedicated to promoting hand hygiene. The inaugural event coincided with the International Year of Sanitation, which was led by the United Nations. Over the years, it has grown into a global movement with participation from over 100 countries, including government agencies, schools, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The day’s theme varies annually to focus on different aspects of hygiene and encourage lasting behavior changes related to handwashing practices.
The challenge
Poor access to improved water and sanitation in Nigeria remains a major contributing factor to high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five. The use of contaminated drinking water and poor sanitary conditions result in increased vulnerability to water-borne diseases, including diarrhea which leads to deaths of more than 70,000 children under five annually.
Seventy-three per cent of the diarrhea and enteric disease burden is associated with poor access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and is disproportionately borne by poorer children. Frequent episodes of WASH related ill-health in children, contribute to absenteeism in school, and malnutrition. Only 26.5 per cent of the population use improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities. Also, 22 per cent of the population defecate in the open.
Rhema Care’s action to address the issue
The global status of another document released by WHO in 2015 reported that 15% of patients develop one or more infectious in hospitals. Also, UNICEF in 2010 highlighted that 272 million school days are missed due to diarrhea infection each year.
We must ensure that our children have access to handwashing facilities at school and at home, and teach them good handwashing habits to keep them on track for a healthy future. But these benefits can only be achieved if handwashing is constantly practiced.
Baxter and Cleary (2002) emphasized the importance of hand hygiene in primary schools to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. They identified it as a crucial element of infection control measures recommended during pandemic influenza. Enhancing hand washing and hygiene practices can reduce the transmission of infections, preventing secondary infections in the broader community. This approach also has the potential to lower health service costs and alleviate the burden on families, some of whom may need to take time off work to care for their children.
Driessnack (2005) conducted a meta-analysis demonstrating that educational interventions focused on hand washing—especially those promoting the use of non-antibacterial soap—can effectively prevent gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. Although this review did not specifically target primary school settings, it, along with two other studies focused on developing countries, highlighted a significant gap in rigorously conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness of hand-washing interventions in preventing the spread of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections (Health Protection Agency, 2005).
This desk review informed Rhema Care’s choice of reaching out to in-school children to promote handwashing in schools, communities, homes and in other public place by targeting in-school children in Cameroon, and Nigeria.
The Cameroon strategic initiative by Rhema Care Cameroon
Rhema Care Cameroon, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee commemorated the Global Handwashing Day on October 15, 2024, by providing handwashing services to pupils at St. Peter’s Catholic School in Ngolo-Bolo, located in the Konye Subdivision of the Meme Division in the South West Region of Cameroon. Other activities included were sensitization talks and role-playing to emphasize the 7- steps of handwashing and the 5 – critical moments of handwashing, following the guidelines set by the World Health Organization
Additionally, 12 WASH Ambassadors were selected from their classes, given them T-shirts, and they were tasked with the responsibility of promoting regular handwashing in their classrooms, School, at home, in the community, and other public places.
Rhema also donated 5 handwashing stations to the school. The children enjoyed handwashing demonstrations delivered with songs and rhymes, which is an effective learning tool for children. Over 600 pupils in the school directly benefited during the initiatives, and it is expected to increase at a geometric progression as the pupils will reach out to their homes, families, neighborhood, churches, etc.
The Nigerian initiative in Northern Nigeria
In northern Nigeria, Rhema Care through the support of Malteser International and GFFO has been implementing water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in Taraba State.
Rhema Care initiative includes the provision of toilets and handwashing stations for schools in Kurmi LGA. The schools also received cleaning supplies such as washing soap, disinfectants (IZAL, Hypo etc), toilet brushes, jerry cans, handwashing liquid soap, and detergents.
To celebrate Global Handwashing Day in 2024, Rhema Care mobilized and educated 100 pupils from Central Primary School Baissa on the importance of handwashing. Lawrencia Nseobot, the Hygiene/Protection Officer, and Patrick Bassey the WASH Officer adopted Child learning approaches to aid the children learning.
Partnerships, donations and Project
We are seeking for support to organize a symbolic handwashing event that is expected to be performed by school children during assembly time in 100 schools in Nigeria and Cameroon. These activities are geared towards taking the campaign beyond the commemoration day and help strengthen the introduction of WASH Friendly School Project as part of our sustainability mechanism to foster hygiene practices in our communities and world at large.
The WASH Champions (Nigeria and Cameroon) created from the schools established structures like the Parents Teachers Association and other Community Based Organizations are expected to adopt and carry out weekly hygiene and sanitation activities in these schools with the objective of ensuring that these schools take ownership of the process to foster WASH education as well as strengthen school-community relationship.
We are calling on Government, Corporate organizations, local and sinternational donor organization, individuals etc. to partner with us to deliver this far -reaching impact to our world. Our contact details can be found on our website and other social media handles. Thank you in advance for partnering with us.
Chima Jeff Megwei
Monitoring & Reporting Officer
Rhema Care Integrated Development Centre (Rhema Care)
