OVER 200 million people in over 100 countries around the world yesterday celebrated Global Hand Washing Day 2013 which was observed under the theme “The power is in your hands.”

This day has been observed every year since 2008 on October 15 and according to the Global Public-Private Partnership for Hand Washing with soap (PPPHW), this day was originally created for children and schools, but can be celebrated by anyone promoting hand washing with soap.

Global Hand Washing Day has been approved by a wide range of civil society organizations, governments, international institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), private companies, and individuals.
According to the PPPHW website, hand washing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries, and which together are responsible for the majority of all child deaths.
“Turning hand washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter,” the website states.
The PPPHW states that an enormous change in hand washing behaviour is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing death among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.
The partnership was established in 2001 and is a coalition of international stakeholders whose focus is hand washing and child health.
It fosters and supports a global culture of hand washing with soap, shines a spotlight on the state of hand washing in every country and also raises awareness about the benefits of hand washing with soap.