Pump Aid is celebrating Global Handwashing Day on Thursday 15th October. As a water and sanitation charity we are proud to be a part of a coalition which includes amongst others, The World Health Organisation, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the education group eBug.
The theme for Global Handwashing Day this year is children and schools with the objective being to raise awareness of the benefits of handwashing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at the critical occasions. Increased handwashing with soap means lower rates of infectious disease.
To celebrate and to highlight the occasion, Pump Aid is linking up with Chipaso Secondary School in Malawi and Chandlers Field School in the UK. Both schools will take part in activities such as devising role plays, creating posters and videos to study the benefits of handwashing with soap and also to learn about the consequences of poor hygiene. The two schools will exchange activities and ideas in order to learn from each other.
Laura Whateley, Acting Deputy Head Teacher of Chandlers Field School is thrilled to be a part of the day “Global handwashing day is a great opportunity for our children to understand the importance of hand hygiene for themselves but also for children all over the world. With the current focus on Swine Flu, this is particularly important. Our children have lots of fun activities planned and are more aware of why handwashing is important as part of keeping themselves well.”
We are inviting the press down to Chandlers Field School to film the day’s events and to spread the message of Global Handwashing Day as wide as possible. In addition, one of the Global Handwashing Day child ambassadors will also be working on a BBC Newsround Press Pack report which will be available to view online.
For further information on the day press call please contact:
0207 922 7992
