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UNICEF campaign on importance of hand wash
In a record of sorts, thousands of school children across Jayashanker Bhupalpalli district on Tuesday pledged that they would always keep their hands clean.
Eturnagaram (Bhupalpalli): In a record of sorts, thousands of school children across Jayashanker Bhupalpalli district on Tuesday pledged that they would always keep their hands clean.
Braving the continuous downpour, holding soaps in their hands and standing in rows in front of specially set up battery of taps, as many as 1,13,000 students gathered at different locations in the Agency villages and washed their hands at a time.
The campaign, an initiative by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), is dedicated to raise the level of awareness among students about hand washing with soap each day as an important step in the prevention of diseases. The students of both private and government schools and workers of anganwadi centres joined the campaign.
District Collector A Murali and UNICEF Hyderabad chief field officer Meital Rusdia joined the students at the main event held at Eturnagaram ZPHS, where 1300 students washed their hands.
“Global Hand Wash Day’ falls on October 15 each year, but it is laudable that in Bhupalpalli district, it is held during the monsoon season. Those who joined us on Tuesday were the true representatives of Swachh Bharat” said the UNICEF official Rusdia. She asked those engaged in mid-day meals programme and parents at home to keep their hands always clean.
“We could prevent one out of four deaths of children in India by washing their hands regularly. The child mortality rate could be reduced and attendance in schools could be increased as washing hands plays key role in maintaining good health among the school going children,” she added. District Collector Murali said that students at 960 government schools and 210 private schools in the district took part in the programme.
‘Children are susceptible to contagious diseases and often become victims of diarrhea and respiratory related diseases’. Washing hands helps to combat antibiotic resistance, he pointed out.
Expressing concern over the fact that nearly 85 per cent people still defecate openly in the district, Murali urged the general public to shun the evil practice as it leads to the spread of many diseases. The open defecation should stop and students should continue hand washing at home as well, Murali added.
ITDA project officer Chakradhar Rao, Mulug Sub-collector Gautam Kumar, UNICEF wash officer Salathiel R Nalli and the local elected representatives were also present on the occasion.
