By : Neha Dhyani
Updated : Oct 12, 2022, 18:39
Global Handwashing Day (GHD) is an international campaign celebrated on 15th October every year. It was initiated by the Global Handwashing Partnership, a coalition that promotes the habit of handwashing around the world. Global Handwashing Day is about highlighting the importance of handwashing and encouraging communities to make it a habit.
Regular handwashing can lead to preventing up to 25-50% of intestinal and respiratory diseases in the world. Global Handwashing Day can be the right occasion to talk about these and more benefits of handwashing. Learn more about the theme of GHD, its history, and its significance here.
Global Handwashing Day is a day on which the need and importance of handwashing are amplified among people around the world. Hands can be the pathway to many different types of diseases, flu, and virals. Washing hands before eating a meal, after sneezing, and after using a toilet can prevent us from these diseases.
Many people and communities around the world still neglect the practice of handwashing, while others have no access to soap and water. Therefore, Global Handwashing Day is a campaign that aims to promote awareness about hand washing and make the resources for hand washing accessible to all. Find more about this day here:
Event Name | Global Handwashing Day |
Celebrated On | 15th October every year |
Established By | Global Handwashing Partnership |
Global Handwashing Day 2022 Theme | Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene |
Aim | To promote hand hygiene practices, and to highlight the benefits of these practices. |
The theme of Global Handwashing Day 2022 is “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.” This theme is a call for united action in encouraging the practice of hand hygiene. It aims to help communities realize their collective responsibility of practicing hand hygiene for their own welfare.
Every year, a new theme is announced for Global Handwashing Day. Here are the previous year’s themes:
Year | Global Handwashing Theme |
2022 | Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene |
2021 | Our Future is at Hand – Let's Move Forward Together |
2020 | Hand Hygiene for All |
2019 | Clean Hands for All |
2018 | Clean Hands – a Recipe for Health |
2017 | Our hands, our future |
2016 | Make Handwashing a Habit |
2015 | Raise a Hand for Hygiene |
2014 | Choose handwashing, choose health |
2013 | The power is in your hands |
2012 | I am a handwashing advocate |
2011 | Clean hands save lives |
2010 | Children and Schools |
2009 | Spread the word, not the germs |
2008 | No specific theme, but the focus of the campaign was on promoting hand hygiene among school children |
There are still millions of people in the world who lack access to soap and water. Needless to say, such areas are affected worse by respiratory, intestinal, and gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of Global Handwashing Day is to appeal to global communities and individuals to practice hand hygiene to safeguard their own health.
On Global Handwashing Day, several NGOs and organizations also reach out to communities that lack access to handwashing resources such as soap and water and provide them with the same. Handwashing Day is an attempt to help people realize the power of hand hygiene and cleanliness in improving the quality of health.
Over 200 million people celebrate Global Handwashing Day every year. As it is a global campaign, Handwashing Day is celebrated in many different ways around the world. Here are some activities that are observed on this day:
The date of Global Handwashing Day was officially appointed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 2008. The year 2008 was also observed as the International Year of Sanitation. Therefore, a great deal of emphasis on sanitary practices, including handwashing, was also laid.
Global Handwashing Partnership, a coalition that works towards promoting hand hygiene habits worldwide suggested 15th October to be celebrated as Global Handwashing Week. Then, it was officiated by the UNGA. The founding organizations of the campaign included the following:
Global Handwashing Day is an international campaign initiated by the Global Handwashing Partnership to promote the habit of handwashing. Global Handwashing Day is celebrated every year on 15th October with the aim of spreading awareness about the benefits of handwashing.
Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on 15th October annually. This day was founded by the Global Health Partnership, and the date for this day was officiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008. Since then, this day has been celebrated on 15th October every year.
Global Handwashing Day 2022 theme is “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.” This theme was set, realizing the need to encourage people to collectively preaching and practicing the habit of washing hands regularly. Handwashing Day is celebrated on 15th October every year.
Global Handwashing Day activities include reaching out to communities and making hand hygiene related resources available to them, donating to NGOs who support such communities and educating people around us to practice hand hygiene properly.
Global Handwashing Day was first celebrated in 2008 after the Global Handwashing Partnership announced the establishment of the day at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. Since then, Handwashing Day has been celebrated on 15th October each year.
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