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20 October 2016

Global Handwashing Day in Blantyre

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Global hand washing day encourages individuals to manage their personal hygiene to prevent the onset and spread of infectious diseases. Blantyre city council celebrated the global Hand Wash day on the 19th of October 2008.

The event started off with a friendly competition, composed of primary students around the city, teachers, local NGOs and city officials. The match started from clock tower to the Chichiri Primary school, where the event was held. Among the various speakers during the event, the Director of the Water for people organisation and the deputy Mayor of the Blantyre city council stated that the hand wash day is a very important day to remind people about the importance of hand washing.

The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008 when over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries. Since 2008, community and national leaders have used Global Handwashing Day to spread the word about hand washing. Each year, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around the world. Global Handwashing Day involves a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies, and individuals.

The 2016 Global Handwashing Day theme is “Make Handwashing a Habit!” For handwashing to be effective it must be practiced consistently at key times, such as after using the toilet or before contact with food. While habits must be developed over time, this theme emphasises the importance of handwashing as a norm for long-term sustainability.

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