MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Unilever Philippines aims to raise the awareness of three million Filipino schoolchildren on handwashing with soap to prevent diseases as they mark Global Handwashing Day 2013.
UNICEF Philippines Water and Sanitation chief Timothy Grieve said proper handwashing goes hand-in-hand with access to toilets. He added that it is also important that hands are washed after using the toilet.
Grieve added that in past celebrations of Global Handwashing Day (GHD) which is marked every Oct. 15, UNICEF this year will be tapping the support of media, private businesses, and the Department of Education for the nationwide campaign which kicked-off at the Aurora Quezon Elementary School in San Andres, Manila last Friday.
"If we have to make an impact on Filipino children, we must work as a team. Washing hands and cleaning toilets are cheap interventions. We have to spread the power of hand washing. Clean hands, save lives,†said Grieve.
"With Unilever's support, UNICEF is working with government, local government units and non-government organizations to increase access to toilets and promote proper hygiene in the poorest communities in the Philippines," he added.
Grieve cited the partnership between Unilever and UNICEF as part of a global initiative to ensure healthy and nurturing environments for all children.
Grieve said the public can also take part in the commitment to teach children about proper handwashing with soap by pledging to volunteer at www.pledgeyourhands.com.
Grieve said some 3.5 million children worldwide die each year from diseases that could have been prevented by handwashing with soap.
Grieve added that some 13,000 children worldwide die of pneumonia while 67 percent of Filipino children under the age of five suffer from intestinal worms. These, he said, could be prevented with handwashing with soap.
GHD is an international campaign by the UNICEF and the global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW) to motivate and mobilize millions around the world to wash their hands with soap.
The first GHD took place on Oct. 15, 2008, the date appointed by the UN General Assembly in accordance with year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation.
The theme for the first GHD was 'Focus on School Children.' The aim set was to get the maximum number of school children handwashing with soap in more than 70 countries. This year's theme is 'Pledge Hands to Save Lives.'