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United Way Blog

Celebrate Good Health and Hygiene on Global Handwashing Day

Raising your hand to volunteer makes a world of difference. Washing your hands frequently with soap does too. Today is Global Handwashing Day, an annual reminder that we all can “Raise a Hand for Hygiene” and make the world a healthier place with simple, voluntary acts.

Global Handwashing Day is dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives: washing one’s hands frequently with soap. Celebrated annually on October 15, Global Handwashing Day was founded by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing and is an opportunity to discover and promote creative ways to encourage people to frequently wash their hands well with soap.

The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008, when over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries. Each year, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around the world. United Ways in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Panama are working with P&G employee volunteers on Global Handwashing Day to increase awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap among young children and their parents in about 70 child care centers and pre-schools. United Way Fresno and Madera Counties (CA) posted this video on their Facebook page to increase awareness of Global Handwashing Day.

Everyone can celebrate Global Handwashing Day. These resources aim to help you learn more, find out how you can participate, and prepare to have a fantastic Global Handwashing Day, wherever you are in the world, and this brochure provides ideas of how to encourage and celebrate handwashing all year long.

When you raise your hand, you say “Yes. I will.” Today and every day, let’s all raise our hands as champions of good health and hygiene.