Nigerian Author and Social Entrepreneur Raquel Kasham Daniel celebrated the 2022 Global Handwashing Day (GHD) with the launch of a new children’s book– The Boy Who Didn’t Wash His Hands. The book integrates hand hygiene concepts seamlessly with a fun story about Ayuba, a young boy who doesn’t like to wash his hands and goes further to teach children that washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs, keep them healthy and help them not miss school dues to preventable illness.

Speaking to Raquel about why she wrote the book, she stated that “Because no one can see germs with the naked eye, children often don’t understand the need to wash their hands and if they get into good handwashing habits when they are young it will keep them from getting sick and missing days of school.’’

Even though handwashing is an easy, cheap, and effective way to prevent the spread of germs and keep kids healthy, for many children, this is simply a herculean task. Through this book, Raquel hopes to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap as a way to prevent the spread of germs.

She added that it is important to emphasize that poor hygiene and lack of access to clean water contribute to about 88 percent of deaths from diarrheal diseases, accounting for 1.5 million diarrhoea-related under-five deaths each year.

“When children have access to clean water, soap, and toilet facilities, and are taught the importance of washing their hands properly from an early age, they are less likely to drop out or miss classes due to illness” she further explained.

Raquel Daniel is a firm believer in the power of educating children to cultivate their character while creating awareness in them from an early age. Through Bambini Africa, she focuses her work on books and other resources for children and young adults. Her goal is to develop resources that will enable parents and educators to nurture cultured, mindful, compassionate, kind, socially and emotionally aware children.