This year Global Handwashing Day celebrates its 5^th anniversary. Over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around the world on this day. Handwashing with soap is the most effective and cheap way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries.

Since 2008 UNENGO “MAMA-86” holds informational and educational campaigns to promote personal hygiene on this Day. UNENGO “MAMA-86” regional organizations of Feodosia, Poltava, Nizhyn and Nova Kakhovka took part in informational campaign this year. Each region held different activities on this day.

Drawing contests, school assembly “Personal hygiene — the guarantee of health”, lessons on sanitation and hygiene and “Chemistry in cosmetics and detergents” were carried out in Poltava city, villages Gozhuly and Machukhy of Poltava rayon. Overall 18 lessons for children of 3–6 grades were conducted. 20 winners of the drawing contest organized by “MAMA-86-Poltava” and some activists will visit the Poltava arboretum (photo 1).

Open quiz lessons about personal hygiene rules (photo 2) were held in Tavriisk city and in Feodosiya kindergarden №20 a play day “Cleanliness where kids solved riddles on hygiene, watched cartoons and learned about the importance of such a procedure, as hands washing took place on 15 October (photo 3).

Two weeks action in schools of Nova Kakhovka and Tavriisk cities was held from 1 to 17 October. In school №5 of Tavriisk city teachers told 1st grade children about the rules of personal hygiene and what diseases related to non-compliance with these rules. During quiz schoolchildren of 4^th grade get knowledge about why the world decided to celebrate Handwashing Day, which poems and prose works ridicule “Messy and dirty kids”, in which countries people die from dirty water most of all. Kids received from “MAMA-86-Nova Kakhovka” and “MAMA-86-Feodosiya” personal hygiene sets, the same gift received kids from school №5 in village Gozhuly.

“MAMA-86-Nizhyn” disseminated informational materials how properly wash hands during “Green week” campaign.

Informational materials about proper hands washing and hygiene rules were prepared, published and disseminated among children in schools by “MAMA-86-Feodosiya” (150 leaflets) and “MAMA-86-Nizhyn”(300 booklets).

Overall 750 children and 16 teachers took part in the Handwashing Day activities.

For more information about Global Handwashing Day, please, visit the website:

http://globalhandwashing.org/ghw-day

More read about MAMA-86’s actions on:

http://mama-86.org.ua/index.php/en/watersan/watersan-news/415-hwd-2012.html