Each year on October 15, the world celebrates Global Handwashing Day as a global advocacy day to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap and running water as a key step to avoid sickness and spreading germs to others.
As the world moves beyond COVID-19 to a new normal, it is time we accelerate hand hygiene progress to prevent infectious diseases through collective efforts.
This year’s theme, “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene,” is calling for everyone to play a role in achieving hand hygiene everywhere because collective effort is required to make real change.
In commemorating the 2022 edition of the campaign, Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), a not-for-profit organization with support from Unilever and FCDO (UK Government) and in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ghana Education Service (GES) held a series of campaigns with school children and general public in Accra and Tamale to promote hand hygiene through handwashing demonstrations, drama skits, live radio discussion programme and donation of handwashing stations and toiletries.
The school campaigns saw children at the Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf in the Tema West municipality of the Greater Accra region and Farukia M/A Basic school in Tamale Metropolis of the Savannah Region undergoing hand hygiene education through step-by-step handwash demonstrations and drama skits.
Speaking at the event in Accra, the WSUP Project Officer for Accra, Mr. John Alate reiterated that handwashing is quite simple and an effective way to prevent disease and save lives and emphasized key times for handwashing such as after using the bathroom, when preparing food, before eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
He also added that WSUP has a vision in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and has been working towards a world in which all urban dwellers, including the poorest, enjoy affordable, high-quality water and sanitation services and since the outbreak of COVID-19, WSUP has implemented a response programme to build resilience in the major cities of Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and now Takoradi.
He further stated that ‘‘a key component of WSUP’s programme is to reduce inclusion disparities and this is our motivation for joining you today at the Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf to mark this all important Global event, and with our current support from Unilever and FCDO (UK Government) we are working to strengthen community and institutional resilience against COVID-19; reduce the impact of exposure to COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy among vulnerable populations whilst strengthening the readiness of public institutions and utilities to address emergency preparedness and response in the selected MMDAs in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi’’.
Keynote addresses were given by Ghana Health and Education Services, all of which placed emphasis on handwashing and the need for a coordinated action to achieve a universal hand hygiene.
The events were attended by representatives from the national, regional and district offices of the Ghana Health Service, Director of Education and officers from the Tema West Municipality, School Health Education Programme Coordinators, teachers, community leaders and school children. About 450 school children in Accra and Tamale were reached with messages on handwashing through drama, poetry, talks and handwashing demonstrations and cultural displays.
Additionally, in targeting the public with the messages, a durbar was also held at the Tamale Market Square where about 500 market and lorry station leaders and the public were in attendance to watch handwash demonstrations and drama skits to promote hand hygiene. Keynote addresses also were delivered by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to highlight the collective effort required in protecting our loved ones from infectious diseases through hand hygiene.
The occasion was also used by WSUP to introduce the Lifebuoy ‘H for Handwashing’ CEOs (Chief Education Officers) from the Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf and 5 basic schools in Tamale. The ‘H for handwashing CEOs’ will help raise awareness by teaching their peers about handwashing and personal hygiene in a series of fun and exciting activities in the coming months in their respective schools.