LASG, RB mark Global Hand washing Day in grand style, Intensifies “Give Life A Hand” campaign among youths

In a bid to curtail the spread of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery, which is prevalent among children, Reckitt Benckiser West Africa in partnership with Save The Children and the Lagos State Government organized a hand washing event to mark the Global Hand washing Day held yearly, with the theme, “Making Hand washing A Habit.”

The event, which held at CMS Primary School, Bariga, attracted over 500 students drawn from over twenty schools on the mainland. The children were taught fun and easy ways to remember to wash their hands as often as possible to prevent the spread of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. According to available statistics, the simple activity of washing hands reduces the spread of diarrhea by half amongst children.

The children were taught songs and dances to aid them in remembering to wash their hands regularly and were urged to spread the knowledge gained to their parents and friends.

To spread further awareness on the importance of hygiene amongst children, Dettol Nigeria is intensifying its ”Give Life A Hand” campaign to commemorate the Global Hand washing Day 2016 which aims to ensure hand-washing becomes a habit among youths. The team visited United Christian Nursery and Primary School in Apapa Lagos to educate pupils on the importance of washing hands and hygiene. In the same vein, the team also commissioned a borehole for permanent water and ultra-modern hand washing sites with graphical illustrations on the six steps of hand washing as well as a borehole. In addition, Dettol soaps were handed out to encourage regular hand washing.

Speaking on the backdrop of this year’s Global hand washing day with the theme “Small Acts, Big Impact”, General Manager, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), Rahul Murgai, said: “nearly 0.7 million children die due to diarrhea, pneumonia, flu, respiratory infections and other diseases spread by touch and these ailments can be averted by doing a small thing that can save millions of lives through hand-washing.”

Speaking with The Guardian, Amaka Ifionu, the Behavioural Change Communication Advisor for Save The Children said, “It’s strange and mind blowing that such a simple act like washing your hand properly with soap and water can prevent diseases. We’re using children because children are agents of change, they learn from each other through peer awareness sessions like this, they are able to reinforce what they have learned in their class rooms and share it to their peers and are able to make them adaptable to hand washing behavior.”