19 October 2011
OCTOBER 15, 2011 marked the 4th anniversary of Global Handwashing Day (GHD) in the Philippines where GHD partners Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unicef, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) continued to stress the importance of hand washing with soap during critical times to stay healthy. These critical times are before eating and handling food, after using the toilet, after playing, and after handling pets.
Hand washing with soap during these critical times helps prevent diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia - leading causes of death among children.
GHD was started in 2008 by the Global Public-Private Partnership for hand washing to foster and support a global culture of hand washing with soap, shine a spotlight on the state of hand washing in every country and raise awareness about the benefits of hand washing with soap. To date, the Philippines is one of over 100 countries that proudly supports and celebrates GHD.