The Simple Power of Hand Washing
October 15th celebrated Global Handwashing Day – Sorry I missed it with this post, but better late than nothing at all. I’ve actually posted about the topic before, under the title “Stupid Things Fathers Do” where I described a first hand observation of a “parenting moment.”
Conservatively, health experts believe that simple hand washing could actually prevent 600,000 children’s DEATHS each year! That’s like preventing SIX airplane crashes full of 250 children under 5 each – EVERY DAY! Merely by hand washing!
Myriam Sidibe is a warrior in the fight against childhood disease. Her weapon of choice? A bar of soap and hand washing. For cost-effective prevention against sickness, it’s hard to beat soapy hand washing, which cuts down risk of pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera and worse. Sidibe, a public-health expert, makes a smart case for public-private partnerships to promote clean hands — and local, sustainable entrepreneurship.
A parent may choose to supplement this video with a children’s book called Wash Your Hands; or, for older children, Germs Are Not For Sharing; or, possibly, even reminder stickers.