Clean Hands Save Lives
2020 Notes
Given the current circumstances around the globe (COVID), washing your hands has never been more vital. Several successful campaigns have been run over the past few months and we urge everyone to continue washing their hands regularly and using the techniques advised in the top medical and governmental guidelines.
Campaign 2013 - 2019
Since the 2012 campaign (between 2013 and 2019), there have been several successful campaigns surrounding hand washing, sanitisation and general hygiene. We hope to see these continue for the forseeable future also.
Campaign 2012
From infectious films to a Guinness world record attempt, Campaign 2012 is set to be the biggest UK Global Handwashing Day celebration to date as GHD coalition members come together to bring you campaigns to remember for the fifth GHD anniversary.
We have partner universities investigating the hygienic nature of your money; a Guinness World Record attempt for mass hand hygiene lessons in schools; a chance to get creative by producing your own infectious film as well as hygiene awareness stalls in supermarkets on the big day (15th October)!
Click through to our Campaign 2012 page to find out more…
View Movie - 'Habit'
The practice of handwashing with soap tops the international hygiene agenda on October 15th, with the celebration of Global Handwashing Day.
Handwashing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways
to prevent diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible
for the deaths of over 3.5m children under the age of 5 every year. In developed countries, handwashing helps to prevent the spread of viral infections, such as norovirus, rotavirus and influenza.
Although people around the world wash their hands with water, many do not wash
their hands with soap at critical moments, including after going to the toilet and before handling or eating food. The challenge is to transform handwashing with soap from an abstract good idea into an automatic behaviour carried out in homes, schools, workplaces and communities.
Global Handwashing Day is the centrepiece of a week of activities that aim to mobilise
millions of people to wash their hands with soap. This simple activity could save more lives than any vaccine or medical intervention, preventing the spread of infection and keeping children in school.
Children, who so often are energetic, enthusiastic and open to new ideas, can act as agents of change by taking the handwashing lessons learned at school back into their homes and communities. Global Handwashing Day aims to motivate children to embrace and share proper handwashing practices and to take on the role of handwashing ambassadors.
We would like to know how you will be celebrating Global Handwashing Day this year - please tell us about your activities using the Contact Us form.
Take it a step further with rubbish clearance!
Hand washing is clearly of huge importance. That is why our yearly campaigns are so successful. For those who are raising awareness and participating each year, why not take it a step further and look at your rubbish clearance habits year round! Recycling is a vital part of this and is not just hygienic but good for the environment too. There are no downsides to proper rubbish disposal techniques. When you have a particularly large amount of rubbish and waste though, you might need an extra pair of hands (or a few depending on how much junk you have). For office removals and London rubbish collection on a larger scale (as is the case for many London and UK businesses, schools and organisations after a big Spring clean), hire an expert waste removal company. Make sure they recycle the rubbish they collect and enjoy a hassle free cleaning project once they have taken the bulk of your waste away.
Global Handwashing Day UK partners include: AMREF; Axiom Communications; Care Commission; Carex; City eHealth Research Centre; Duo Tech Limited; E-bug; EduGames4All; First News; GlaxoSmithKline; Health Protection Agency; International Infection Prevention Week; International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene; Kiddiwash; Kimberly-Clark Professional; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; PooP Creative; Queen Mary University of London; Radox; Sainsbury's; School Councils UK; Seven Scent; Teal; The Ideas Foundation; The Wiggles; Unilever; WaterAid; World Health Organization