Wash Self-Supply Project celebrates Global Hand-washing Day

By Tamba Borbor

PRO, WHH SLE 1048/1085

The Wash Self-Supply project (SLE 1072), a hygiene and sanitation project being implemented by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in Kenema District with funds from the European Union (EU) has on Thursday 15^th October 2020 observed World Handwashing Day.

According to the Head of Project, Frederick Fabba, one key component of the project is promotion of handwashing in communities as he highlights the various benefits for people to engage in regular washing of hands.

“Today we are targeting stakeholders to inspire the people in their communities, workplace and organization to frequently engage in handwashing which has immense health benefits,” Fabba stated.

Global Handwashing Day (GHD) is a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of hand hygiene, especially through handwashing with soap, and triggering lasting change from the policy-level to community-driven action.

The 2020 GHD theme is ‘Hand Hygiene for All’, a call to action to make hand hygiene a reality for all. This theme aligns with the new Hand Hygiene for All Initiative led by the WHO and UNICEF. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role hand hygiene plays in disease transmission.

The theme reminds us of the need to take immediate action on hand hygiene across all public and private settings to respond and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Hand hygiene must become everybody’s business. It also reminds us of the need to build on the current momentum to make hand hygiene a mainstay in public health interventions beyond the pandemic and create a culture of hand hygiene. This fact sheet provides an overview on what this year’s theme means for handwashing advocacy and programming.

As part of activities to observe the Day, the project produced a short high definition video in which the Regional Commander of the Sierra Leone Police in Kenema District, Thomas Mustapha Lahai, the Resident Minister East, Chairman Kenema District Council- Mohamed M. Sesay and Chief Frank Senesie Daniel Nyakeh of Nongowa Chiefdom, Kenema District- all emphasizing the need to practice handwashing in the daily routines of their respective subjects.