On Global Handwashing Day UNICEF says: It's not complicated, but it's crucial

BEIJING, 17 October 2012 – As the world celebrates the fifth annual Global Handwashing Day, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) emphasizes the fact that the very simple act of handwashing with soap can save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children who needlessly die every year.

Child mortality figures released by UNICEF last month show that some 2,000 children under five die each day from diarrhoeal diseases. Of these, the vast majority – some 1,800 children per day – die due to a lack of safe water, sanitation and basic hygiene.

Though the number has significantly declined in the five years since Global Handwashing Day was established, UNICEF says it is still too high.

"Global Handwashing Day is more than just a day," says Therese Dooley, UNICEF's senior advisor on sanitation and hygiene. "We want the message to spread from children to families, communities and nations. Halting the spread of diarrhoeal disease is not complicated, or costly, but it is critically important that handwashing with soap becomes routine for everyone."

As diarrhoeal diseases are basically faecal-oral in nature, one of the simplest and most inexpensive barriers to infection is handwashing with soap at critical times, such as before handling food and after defecation or changing a diaper.

This year the message will be carried by millions of school children in over 100 countries in a month of activities. In China, UNICEF is working with the National Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office (NPHCCO) and the Ministry of Education to mobilize students and communities to celebrate the day on the theme of "I am a Handwashing Advocate".

Children from 80 schools in Guangxi, Anhui, Hunan and Chongqing will participate in various awareness-raising activities, such as essay writing, drawing, singing and drama, and choose their own handwashing advocates from among their peers and teachers to help people form good habits and disseminate the message widely.

Meanwhile, 300,000 Beijing mobile phone users have received SMS text messages highlighting: "Personal Health starts from Handwashing with Soap." Additionally, 50 communities in Guangxi, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Jilin are conducting month-long public handwashing campaigns.

NPHCCO emphasizes that the global handwashing advocacy campaign should not be just a one-day event, but our routine work.  The knowledge of handwashing needs to be disseminated through all forms of media including TV, radio, press and internet to raise public awareness and create a supportive environment to promote this important health intervention.

UNICEF China has also supported the development of Global Handwashing Day posters featuring Chen Kun, the UNICEF Ambassador for China and Handwashing Campaign Special Advocate.

"We are pulling out all the stops to ensure that everyone gets the message," says Dooley. "You don't need to invent some Nobel Prize winning formula to save millions of children. The solution already exists: soap and water."

"Washing hands with soap is the one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to save lives of millions of children," says Yang Zhenbo, UNICEF China's Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. "In this public health campaign, each and every one of us has a role to play. We call upon all of you to act as advocates for handwashing with soap. "

About Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on October 15. The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap initiated Global Handwashing Day in 2008, and it is endorsed by governments, international institutions, civil society organisations, NGOs, private companies and individuals around the globe. Visit www.globalhandwashingday.org