It’s Global Handwashing Day!
Today, October 15th, is Global Handwashing Day! Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy day aimed to increase awareness and further the understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and most importantly, save lives.
“In 2022, 1 out of 4 people still lacked basic hygiene services, amounting to over 2 billion people. ”
Handwashing with soap is a simple yet powerful act that can significantly reduce the risk of infections, including respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, and other illnesses. By washing our hands regularly and properly, we can protect ourselves and others from harmful germs and contribute to a healthier and safer community.
Within Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), handwashing falls under hygiene, alongside other important components such as food hygiene and menstrual health. Despite the strong links to public health, hygiene was not included in the Millennium Development Goals, which preceded the SDGs. However, the explicit inclusion of hygiene as part of the SDG 6.2 target has further pushed its importance onto the global agenda.
The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) performs biannual global studies into the status of drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services around the world. What do they look for when measuring the level of hygiene services that are available? The ‘Handwashing ladder’, as shown below, categorizes households into ‘basic’, ‘limited’, or ‘no facility’ based on the availability of a handwashing facility with soap and/or water at home or off-premises.
Figure: JMP service ladder for hygiene (WHO & UNICEF, 2023)
On Global Handwashing Day, various activities and initiatives are organized around the world to raise awareness about the importance of handwashing. These include educational campaigns in schools, community events, handwashing demonstrations, and distribution of hygiene kits. The day brings together individuals, communities, governments, and organizations to promote hand hygiene and work towards achieving universal access to handwashing facilities and behavior change.
Remember, clean hands save lives! Let's join forces on Global Handwashing Day and make handwashing a possibility for everyone, everywhere.
