Biggest ever celebration
High 5 for Handwashing unites supporters of child health to champion the adoption of good hygiene habits such as handwashing with soap.
As Kartik Chandrasekhar, Global Lifebuoy Vice President, explains: “A high 5 is an action that transcends cultural, geographical and language barriers to champion the cause for handwashing with soap. Through the simple act of a high 5, we are galvanising local communities to adopt this lifesaving habit.”
This GHD, Lifebuoy is running its biggest ever celebration with High 5 for Handwashing events taking place around the world. These involve government officials, dignitaries and celebrities, alongside parents, students and employees.
In association with the Dubai Health Authority, Lifebuoy has already broken the first Guinness World Record for high 5-ing, where over 300 children gave a high 5 to Dr Lifebuoy, one of the mascots of Lifebuoy’s Schools Programme in Dubai. There are numerous other events planned for October, including in Myanmar where people will congregate at the Shwedagon Pagoda to break the record for the most simultaneous high 5s, while in Pakistan thousands will come together to high 5 with clean hands.
As well as attempts to break records, events around GHD include a host of school volunteering activities which aim to teach primary school children the importance of this lifesaving habit – making a difference to the lives of over 1 million children in the month of October.
Ultimate aim: to reach 1 billion people
One child under the age of five dies from diarrhoea or pneumonia roughly every 20 seconds. That’s 1.4 million children every year. Many of these deaths are preventable by the simple act of handwashing with soap, especially during the first 28 days after birth.
This is why Lifebuoy has set itself the ambitious target – as part of our Sustainable Living Plan – to reach 1 billion people with handwashing messages by 2020, through its Help a Child Reach 5 campaign. The brand has already reached more than 337 million people across 28 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, making it one of the world’s largest hygiene behaviour change programmes.
A rallying cry to governments
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa face the biggest challenge in reducing child mortality. Through working with us to deliver handwashing behaviour change programmes, governments can prevent diarrhoea and pneumonia, and make rapid progress towards reducing child mortality, ultimately supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
No matter where you are in the world, you too can participate and help Lifebuoy raise awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap. Take a photograph of your high 5 and post it on your social media profiles using #High5forHandwashing and tag @Lifebuoysoap. Also tag your colleagues and friends to encourage them to join the movement.