On the celebration of the 2021 Global Handwashing Day (GHD) on Friday, Oct. 15, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) underscored the urgent need to instill among the youth the importance of proper handwashing to protect themselves from diseases.
“It is important to arm the youth with basic knowledge of proper handwashing to protect themselves from diseases,” said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Dick Gordon.
“The youth will then be able to teach the next generation and make handwashing with soap automatic behavior performed in homes, schools, and communities worldwide,” Gordon added.
This year marks the 14th GHD celebration since the Philippine Senate issued PS Resolution 627 introduced by Gordon.
The 1st Global Handwashing Day was celebrated Oct. 15, 2008 wherein the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation were urged to use all resources available to assist the United Nations General Assembly in its successful implementation.
The GHD campaign, PRC said, was part Chairman Gordon’s vision to protect the children from preventable diseases such as diarrhea, cough, colds, pneumonia, skin rashes, and even coronavirus disease (COVID-) through continuous promotion and education of proper handwashing to the youth nationwide.
PRC noted that Gordon was also at the forefront of this movement long before handwashing became a staple in the prevention protocols menu for Covid-19.
The PRC Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) service kicked off the campaign through a webinar that aims to reach 1,000,000 children to educate them on proper handwashing.
The webinar also covered relevant topics and key messages on hand hygiene, along with influential speakers and subject matter experts.
PRC, through its local chapters, has constructed different WASH facilities like portable handwashing facilities and drumvatories in schools, markets, and isolation facilities as part of its initiative to make it accessible to the public.
Gordon once became a brand ambassador of Safeguard in 2008 to promote proper handwashing to children.
This partnership led PRC to extend its operation to promote and educate proper handwashing so that they can protect themselves from preventable diseases during times of disasters, calamities, and especially during the pandemic.