Global Hand Washing Day 2015
This year Global Hand Washing Day fell on October 17th. It is important to us because it is a opportunity to highlight the importance of good hygiene practices, particularly washing your hands. This year’s theme was “Raise a Hand for Hygiene.” To commemorate the cause, Drop in the Bucket spent the day at the Kudo Primary School in Torit, South Sudan.
Our Program and Partners
Several organizations working in the WASH sector showed their willingness to raise their hands and get involved in the fight for better hygiene. In addition to DROP, our partners from NIRAS, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Public Utilities, and the County WASH department, offered their time, talent and resources. They worked hand in hand with workers and students at three local primary schools as well as members of the surrounding community. In total, 500 people came to learn—and to have fun.
For its part, DROP provided snacks, sweets, soda, clean water and, of course, soap, for hand-washing demonstrations. It also awarded two boys who had actively encouraged their parents to construct toilets at home with T-Shirts, soap, pens and school exercise books.
The day’s events included a play as well as traditional songs and dances—all with the message of using latrines and washing hands regularly. Nine Sanitation committee members from the villages of Lobule, Lofiri and Lohira presented speeches focusing on constructing latrines, which address the root cause of diseases—diseases can then be spread without proper hand-washing. At the end of the day, those assembled committed to construct more latrines in their villages.
And that’s the importance of events like this. It’s not just that 500 people showed up, it’s that those people will return to their village with an important message. In their communities, sanitation will spread now instead of diseases.