The day aims to raise awareness of the importance of good hand hygiene in healthcare and to unite people around the world in support of overall hygiene improvement.

It was on the theme “Accelerate Action Together. SAVE LIVES –Clean Your Hands” and highlights the critical role that hand hygiene plays in preventing the spread of infections and antimicrobial resistance in our environment.

The World Hand Hygiene Day is commemorated annually on May 5.

Support

As part of the programme in Accra, the La Enobal Basic School received a donation of hand hygiene resources including soap, hand sanitisers and tissues to promote good hand hygiene practices.

Female students of the school were also provided with sanitary products to promote menstrual hygiene management.

At the event, the headteacher of the school, Michael Odonkor, expressed his gratitude to Vivo Energy Ghana and United Way Ghana for their ongoing support and promised to uphold good hygienic standards in the school.

Commenting on hand hygiene, the Corporate Communications Manager of Vivo Energy Ghana, Shirley Tony Kum, who spoke on behalf of the Managing Director, said as a leading energy company in the country, Vivo was committed to promoting and practising good hand hygiene in all aspects of its operations.

Implement

“We continue to implement strict hand hygiene protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and customers and it is for this reason that we are pleased with this collaboration which will create awareness and educate the pupils and, by extension, the community on the importance of hand hygiene.

Touching on the significance of the day, the Executive Director of the United Way Ghana, Felix Kissiedu, said "United Way is committed to eradicating all impediments that hinder access to quality education, such as diseases, some of which can be prevented through simple means like practising proper hand hygiene, and for this reason, we, as an organisation, are delighted to partner with Vivo Energy Ghana to sensitise these young ones."

Importance

He further emphasised the importance of making hand hygiene a daily habit to improve the health and well-being of the pupils saying, “World hand hygiene day is an annual event, but we are to note that hand hygiene has to be an everyday activity”.

The School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipality, Constance Sekyere, acknowledged the effort of the organisations.

He called on the citizenry to make handwashing a culture as it was during the COVID-19 era.

The event featured poetry recitals and choreography on hand hygiene by the pupils.  

Vivo Energy Ghana's green champions and volunteers also educated the pupils on the five handwashing steps, which include wetting the hands under running water, applying soap, rubbing the hands together for at least 20 seconds, rinsing with water and drying with a clean towel or tissue.