Background & Introduction of the Global Handwashing Day.

The Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy day dedicated to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. Global Handwashing day is celebrated every year on 15th of October; the event was started in August 2008 by the global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) at the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. The Global Handwashing Day is designed to: –

• Foster and support global and local culture of handwashing with soap
• Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing around the world
• Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap

Since 2008, community and national leaders have used Global Handwashing Day to spread the word about handwashing, build sinks and tippy taps and demonstrate the simplicity and value of clean hands. When handwashing with soap is practiced regularly at critical times, such as after using the 5 toilet or before contact with food, it can dramatically reduce the risk of diarrhea and pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and death.

Therefore, HIRDA organization with support from UNICEF, take part the commemoration of this important global event in belethawa district of Gedo region. In attendance were school children, parents, CECS, teachers and community leaders who were mobilized to take part in global handwashing day. The school had a total of 288 students among 116 girls and 172 boys,
Leaflets and posters with messages on the importance of hand washing and risks associated on disease transmission particularly to the school going children was distributed to the student and advice to share messages to their parents and siblings in order to ensure information reached all.
The theme for this year global hand washing day “Unite for universal hand hygiene ‘’
Following steps ought to be taken at household and community level to re-enforce the theme:
• Wash your hands with soap at critical times, especially before eating, cooking, or feeding others;
• Model good handwashing behavior, and remind or help others to always wash their hands with soap before eating;
• Make handwashing with soap as a part of family meals;
• Establish places to wash your hands with soap in the household and communities.

Objectives
The main highlight of the event was a handwashing demonstration by dignitaries using soap, at specially designed handwashing stations and student to adopt the practices in all the critical times.

Global Hand Washing Day Activity
Opening session; -The activity was open with aword of prayers from Islamic partron after which the H.teacher Mr Abdirahman open the session officialy and welcome the Hirda team ,CECs and parents to the schools .
Word from school Committee;The school chairperson also welcome the vistors and highlighted the importance of celebrating hand washing and joining the rest of the world.He also appreciated the Hirda WASH team with the support from Unicef for spearheading the Global hand washing day.
Introduction and Practical Hand washing session; -Mr Omar Fanay ,Hirda WASH focal person grant his great appreciation to the committee and parents for the warm reception,introduce the WASH team from HIRDA, and highlighted the important in commemoration of the global hand washing day.Laiter lead the audience and students on practical session of Hand washing and student also did the same using running water and soap.
4.Walk show to the Community: -The whole team took a walk show to the community singing and creating awareness to community on the global hand washing day.
5.Adjournment of the activity. The activity was adjourned at noon and was successful.

Methodology
Different methodology was use to commemorate the global hand washing day ,among performed include
• Student perform poem that was carrying hand washing messages
• Student asking each other question to educate others on the importance of hand washing
• Student, teacher and WASH team on walk show to the community in order to increase hand washing practices in all critical times.

Achievement
The session was well attended by school children, schools teachers, the CECS, village chiefs,250 households were sensitized on the use of handwashing facilities at the household levels in commemoration of this global hand washing day in bardere, baladhawa and burdubo.
• Team witness the establishment of leaky tins at the door steps of the toilets at the community in order to boost hand washing practices after visiting the toilet.
• 520 participants(350 male and 170 female )majority school going children took parts in the global hand washing day activities to commemorate the global event.
• Branded t-shirts, posters and leaflets with important massages were distributed to commemorate the global hand washing day.

Challenges
No challenges were witness during on the event day

Conclusions
• Hirda team are always grateful to Unicef for their financial support to ensure the activity was successful.
• Hirda team appreciate to Banane school management committees and the student for their overwhelming support to ensure the event was successful and all other players among them the teachers, parents and student who promise to adopt hand washing practices in all the critical times.

Global Hand Washing Day Pictorials