DepED, partners to mark 2022 Global Handwashing Day celebration
To further promote proper handwashing as a key component in creating safe schools and communities, the Department of Education (DepED) on Thursday, Oct. 13, announced the celebration of this year’s Global Handwashing Day in Marikina City.

Representatives of DepED along with the Department of Health (DOH), UNICEF, WHO, and the City of Marikina will gather at the Marikina Elementary School on Oct. 14 to call for united action across different sectors to mark this year’s Global Handwashing Day celebration.
Dubbed, “Sama-samang ikaway, Malilinis na Kamay!,” the event will highlight the need for collective effort across different sectors to ensure access to hand hygiene facilities for everyone in schools and other community spaces, such as markets, health centers, and offices.
Expected to attend are Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, DepED Undersecretary for Governance and Field Operations Revsee Escobedo, DOH OIC-Undersecretary of Health, Public Health Services Team Beverly Ho, and UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov.
The Global Handwashing Day, celebrated each year on October 15, is an advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of hand hygiene as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of hand hygiene as one of the public health measures to stop disease transmission.
Handwashing with soap is also a key measure in preventing diarrhea and pneumonia, two of the major preventable causes of child death worldwide.
Experts also noted that handwashing also contributes to the reduction, prevention, and elimination of stunting in children, which affects 30 percent of children under five in the Philippines.
More than ever, the organizations believe that there is a need to bring together governments, public and private sectors, and civil society to enable a culture of hand hygiene --- especially in vulnerable communities.