UNICEF, Unilever teach children proper handwashing

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 washing their hands with soap to prevent diseases as they marked Global Handwashing Day (GHD).

According to Timothy Grieve, UNICEF Philippines water and sanitation chief, 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.

“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,” Grieve said.

He added that with Unilever’s support, UNICEF is working with the government, local officials and non-government organizations “to increase access to toilets and promote proper hygiene in the poorest communities in the Philippines.”

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.

According to Grieve, 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.