Each year, diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections are responsible for the deaths of more than 3.5 million children under the age of five. Unsafe water and inadequate sanitation are often major causes of lost work and missed school days, perpetuating the cycle of economic and social stagnation in many countries. Investments in health, child survival, education, water supply, and sanitation are all jeopardized if there is a lack of emphasis on handwashing with soap.

Washing hands with soap and water especially at the critical times – after using the toilet and before handling food – helps reduce the incidence of diarrheal disease by more than 40 percent and respiratory infections by nearly 25 percent. Furthermore, washing hands with soap is also being recommended as a critical action to prevent the spread of influenza H1N1.

Handwashing with soap represents a cornerstone of public health and can be considered an affordable, accessible “do-it-yourself” vaccine. It is economical, safe, and effective.

Improved sanitation and hygiene programs combined with handwashing education directly impact the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2: universal primary education and MDG 3: gender equality via higher enrolment, attendance and retention rates in schools for both girls and boys. Additionally, higher rates of handwashing with soap would significantly contribute towards meeting the MDG 4 of reducing deaths of children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.

Despite its life-saving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and not always easy to promote. Although soap is available in most households around the world, observed rates of handwashing with soap at critical moments range from zero to 34 percent. For successful, and sustained behavioral change to occur, it is vital to incorporate community-based and community-sensitive approaches that understand what motivates people to change.

Under the slogan of “Clean hands save lives,” the second annual Global Handwashing Day campaign in 2009 engaged schoolchildren as effective agents for change. The introduction of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in schools, including handwashing with soap, is an entry point for children to understand and then take these good hygiene practices back into their homes and communities.

In 2008, approximately 200 million children lathered up for last year’s inaugural Global Handwashing Day in 86 countries across five continents. From Colombia to Bangladesh, from Kenya to the Philippines, from the United Kingdom to Ethiopia, schools and communities worldwide organized and participated in celebrations and handwashing campaigns. This year millions more, including, children, teachers, parents, celebrities, and government officials in over 80 countries, joined in the celebrations.

Global Handwashing Day is an initiative of the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap, and is endorsed by a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies and individuals worldwide.

To view the Global Handwashing Day website please visit www.globalhandwashingday.org