On October 15th GIWA celebrated Handwashing Day with over 200 students from 4 different schools bringing awareness and understanding on the importance of Handwashing with soap. Adults and children fall sick due to germs, being directly related to not washing hands:
- Over 1.5 million children under five year of age die each year as a result of diarrhoea. It is the second most common cause of child deaths worldwide.
- 80% of common infections are spread by hands
- More than 40 % of cases of diarrhoea can be reduced by Handwashing with soap at critical times – before eating and after using the toilet.
- Around 23 % of acute respiratory infections incidence can be reduced by Handwashing with soap.
As this is a very effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives, we strive to make sure every child is educated on Handwashing and the importance of doing it specially after using the toilet and before meals. On this day, GIWA visited the schools and brought a day full of fun mixed with awareness. Our team made sure all the students learned the 7 steps of Handwashing:
- Step 1 – Wet your hands and apply enough soap (coin size).
- Step 2 – Rub your palms together.
- Step 3 – Rub the back of each hand.
- Step 4 – Rub both your hands while interlocking your fingers.
- Step 5 – Rub the back of your fingers.
- Step 5 – Rub the tips of your fingers.
- Step 6 – Rub your thumbs and the ends of your wrists.
After that the children shared their enthusiasm and showcased their talents designing their own Handwashing posters and writing slogans to inspire cleanliness and personal care. The day culminated at Parmarth Niketam with a Sabon Sankalp (Pledge for Soap) and a parade with HH Pujya Swamiji and Parmarth’s own Gurukul.
On this day we also take a chance to look back on the last year of bringing Handwashing Stations into our WaterSchools and we celebrate our children’s smiles, health and happiness!
#SwachhBharat #SwasthaBharat #High5ForHandwashing #GHD2018
