Unilever launches Lifebuoy's "Partner a Community" initiative in conjunction with Global Handwashing Day

Yvonne Chaka Chaka - Lifebuoy’s ambassador washing her hands.

To many people, the act of washing ones hands has become second nature. Step one; wet hands. Step two; add soap. Step three; rub hands together for 10 to 15 seconds. Step four; rub between fingers. Step five; rinse well and dry with a clean towel. Many take for granted the fact that everyone is aware of how and when to wash their hands; before eating and preparing food, after using the toilet and after sneezing, blowing your nose and coughing.

Lifebuoy has a rich heritage focused on the promotion of hygiene, which extends as far back as 1796. As it continues to honour its commitment to germ protection, and with the support of Unilever, Lifebuoy aims to bring Global Handwashing Day to a wider audience and influence government policy in order to make hygiene behaviour change education part of every school curricula.

This initiative has seen 35 schools and eight clinics in Mandeni participating, reaching over 18,000 children. The objectives of this campaign are to underscore hygiene conditions and education in rural communities, to educate the Mandeni community regarding the importance and benefits of proper hand hygiene, to drive awareness regarding the importance of hygiene (especially when caring for children and new-born babies) and to stimulate conversations regarding how certain diseases and infections can be avoided through effective hand hygiene.

"Hand-washing with soap is one of the most effective and low cost ways to prevent diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea, which stop 1.7-million children every year from reaching their fifth birthday. We know from clinical research that hand-washing with soap at key occasions can reduce the risk of diarrhea by up to approximately 45%. That means that hand-washing with soap could help a lot more children reach their fifth birthday," said Peter Cowan, Unilever SA Chairman.

"Our vision is to create a Brighter Future for all South Africans through improving the health and hygiene in communities where we operate. As more awareness is created around personal hygiene, we are hopeful that this important message will filter through to various groups of society as the first step towards creating a safe, germ-free and better place for all."

Education breeds knowledge. Knowledge breeds power. With the right knowledge lives can not only be improved, but saved too.