Today is Global Hand washing Day, an annual global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of hand washing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
It is being celebrated at the St Joseph the Workers Primary School in Nakasi, with Assistant Health Minister Veena Bhatnagar the chief guest.
UNICEF says hand washing with soap is a lifesaving but often ignored health measure in the Pacific that can help the region achieve the new Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
UNICEF Pacific Representative Dr. Karen Allen says if children are supported through school, family and community-led programmes to routinely wash their hands from an early age, they will establish healthy habits that will help to protect them from illness and disease for life.
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.
