By Richard Attenkah
Andrew Evans Quayson, Chairman of the Unilever Foundation, has disclosed that scientific research has proven that our hands are the principal carriers of disease-causing germs, as a result washing one’s hand regularly with soap and water can avert one million deaths a year.
“Therefore, making hand washing with soap and water before eating and after using the toilet into a regular daily practice can save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhoea by almost half,” he explained.
According to him, a UNICEF report released in May 2010 shows that 2.2 million deaths of children are preventable through improvements in the provision of safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene practices.
Mr. Quayson was speaking at a programme for the handing over of a US$28,000 hygiene station for children at the Klangon TMA Primary A&B Schools, near Sakumono in the Tema Metropolitan area last Friday. A similar facility, estimated at the same cost, was handed over to the Tema Manhean TMA School, later in the day.
The programme forms part of Unilever’s annual Global Hand Washing Day, aimed at sensitising the general public about the need to make hand washing part and parcel of our lives. The theme for this year’s Global Hand Washing Day is “Raise a Hand for Hygiene.”
The hygiene station, which, according to Mr. Quayson, comprises of four washrooms and four hand washing units for pupils, is one of his outfit’s community investment projects towards improving the health and wellbeing of its community. “Today, we live in a world where over two million children under the age of five die each year from diarrhoea and pneumonia.
“In fact, one child dies every 15 seconds from diarrhoea disease, which is the second most common cause of death in children under five in Africa and Asia. “These deaths occur because 884 million people do not have access to clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation.
“Given these facts, Unilever is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of a billion people around the world by 2020. This is a big goal within the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, and we are determined to get there,” he noted. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is also aimed at achieving the United Nation’s Global Goals of ensuring good health and wellbeing, as well as availability and management of water and sanitation for all.
He hinted that his outfit had lined up a number of campaign programmes aimed at addressing some of the challenges confronting the day-to-day living that inhibit the ability of its consumers to enjoy a complete state of health and wellbeing.
Some of the campaigns, which he referred to as “social mission” branded programmes, include Lifebuoy’s hand washing campaign, Pepsodent’s twice daily campaign, and the Blue Band’s growth challenge.
Continuing, Mr. Quayson said the Global Hand Washing Day was originally created for children and schools, but can also be celebrated by any one promoting hand washing with soap.
The Unilever, Ghana, Board Chairman noted that children are everyone’s business, because they are our future, adding, as a people, there is the need for us to work together for their wellbeing. “We are delighted that as we commemorate the laudable initiative of Global Hand Washing with soap, we are able to provide an effective means to enable the children of Klangon TMA Primary A&B School and Manhean TMA adopt and practice this life saving habit all the time.”
Nii Bortey Klan II, Chief of Klangon, thanked Unilever for the kind gesture, saying the facility will go a long way to improve the health and wellbeing of children in the school. He called on the company not to stop there, but continue to help develop the school by constructing a library facility to enhance the performance of children in the school.