A pupil of E. P Primary School demonstrating
Ghana has marked the global hand washing day with the launch of an innovative hand washing campaign that is aimed at boosting sanitation in every household across the country.
The ‘Tippy Tap’ campaign is expected to make hand washing a habit among the people by helping households create their own simple, locally manufactured hand washing station through a UNICEF supported initiative funded by Unilever.
Speaking at a launch of the campaign at the E. P Primary School Park, Kpedze Anoe in the Ho West District, Volta Region David Duncan, UNICEF Chief of WASH, said hand washing with soap or ash under running water could save about half the children that die from diarrhea and about one in four that die from pneumonia.
“We know that hand washing with soap and water is three times more cost-effective than sanitation, 50 times more cost-effective than improving water quality and hundreds of times more cost-effective than immunization” he said.
Mr. Duncan disclosed that despite the huge benefits of hand washing, only one in five Ghanaians wash their hands, adding that most of the schools don’t have water or washing facilities.
He said the Tippy Tap campaign, which was piloted in the Volta region, has resulted in a 20 percent increase in hand washing in just three years.
“If we can build on this, regionally and nationally, to a point where everyone is washing their hands, we could save thousands of Ghanaian children every year.
Nana Esi Inkoom, National School Health Education Programme Coordinator, hailed the UNICEF initiative, indicating that it would go a long way to boost hand washing in schools and reduce WASH related diseases.
“We welcome this initiative and hope other stakeholders will give the necessary backing and support to sustain this initiative,” she said.
NP Gandour, manufacturers of Pharmadem soaps and sanitizers teamed up with TELL IT MOMS, an NGO, to observe the global hand washing day in Accra.
School-children at the Airport Police Basic Primary School were taken through basic hand washing exercises and were each given a package containing Pharmadem soaps, hand sanitizers and towels to encourage them to regularly wash their hands.
Shaida Buari–Nubi, CEO of TELL IT MOMs said, “Children play around a lot and often times grab things either to play with or eat, so educating them on the importance of making hand washing a habit can dramatically reduce the incidence of diarrheal diseases and pneumonia.
“These diseases account for the majority of the deaths of children around the world. Hand washing attitude in every kid will save many lives.
The day was climaxed with a donation of Pharmadem Hand Sanitizers and Doctor’s overcoats valued at GH¢7,000.00 to the maternity ward of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital by N.P. Gandour officials.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri & Cephas Larbi