Ethiopia: Children Observe Global Hand Washing Day
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
16 October 2008
Posted to the web 16 October 2008
Fikremariam Tesfaye
Addis Abeba
One million Ethiopian children joined their peers in over 60 other countries worldwide yesterday in a venture to have the largest number of school children wash their hands with soap on the occasion of the first ever Global Hand Washing Day (GHWD).
The half-day GHWD national event held at Meskel Square on Wednesday aimed to promote hand washing with soap as an important hygienic practice that reduces by two third the prevalence of diahorreal diseases and pneumonia (respiratory illness) that affect and in many cases kill millions of children.
According to Dr. Sintayehu W/Michael, Minister of Education, studies show every year diahorreal diseases and pneumonia together kill almost four million children under the age of five in developing countries.
Delivered through a representative from the Ministry the minister, in his key note speech, said, sanitation is much significant for health, dignity, economic benefit, social development and environment protection. "However, these prominences are not considered especially in developing countries." Hand washing with soap plays an important role to reach the Millennium Development Goals related to health improvements, education, the reduction of poverty and child mortality, as well as access to and effective use of water supply and sanitation services, he added.
Global Hand Washing day is also an important event to raise the profile of the International Year of Sanitation (IYS) which is being observed worldwide throughout the year 2008. Globally, it is estimated that 2.6 billion people do not have access to sanitation. In Ethiopia, the estimate is roughly 35 million people.
Children have the potential to be agents of behavioral change in their schools, homes and communities; to that purpose, improvements in water and sanitation coupled with hygiene education are helpful, according to the UNICEF.
Government officials, diplomatic community, stakeholders, public and private sectors', NGOs, and Children attended the occasion.
Relevant Links
The celebration in Ethiopia was organized by UNICEF and the Ethiopian WASH Movement in partnership with private sector including Star Soap, Roto, Birhane Zeru Luxury and Comfortable Buses, Andnet Trading and Printing, Afritank, Helena and Aquatabs. Globally the inaugural Global Hand washing Day is led by a coalition of public and private partners, who together form the Public-Private Partnership for Hand washing (PPPHW).
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