'Our hands, Our future'

Preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia contribute to the deaths of 1.7 million children each year. According to UNICEF data in 2016, approximately 11,000 children under the age of five are dying every year in Afghanistan due to dehydration caused by diarrhoea. The same report states that there are about 6,500 babies, barely one month old, dying from sepsis – also called blood poisoning, which is almost exclusively attributed to poor hygiene practices during and after delivery.

However, there is an affordable, simple and effective way to reduce the risk of illness and death from these diseases— washing hands with soap.Handwashing with soap plays an important role in child survival and health. Simply washing hands with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea among children under five by 42 per cent and respiratory infections by approximately 36 per cent (UNICEF 2016).

On 15 October 2017, Global Handwashing Day, hundreds of millions of people around the world are celebrating the importance of handwashing with soap.This year’s theme, ‘Our Hands, Our Future’, is reminding us that handwashing protects our own health, but also allows us to build our own futures, as well as those of our communities, and the world.

According to the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey, 61 per cent of Afghans do not have a designated place for hand washing where soap and water are present.   This figure increases to 76 per cent in rural areas.  World Vision is therefore making a strong effort to encourage Afghan citizens to wash their hands with soap and water, in order for Afghans, especially boys and girls, to have a healthy future.  

On 15 October 2017, World Vision is celebrating Global Handwashing Day in Badghis and Herat provinces where more than 1,400 school students aged between six to ten will participate.  The project is funded by World Vision New Zealand and aims to increase awareness of children on the importance of hand washing and also personal and environmental hygiene.

Join us in this celebration empowering people everywhere to save lives and contribute to healthy prosperous communities through choosing handwashing with soap both on Global Handwashing Day and beyond.