School children from Bhatgram, Saligram and Sindura Lower Primary schools of Cachar District in Assam has adopted healthy hand washing and hygiene practices in their life. Caritas India has taken this initiative to promote hand washing among children to build healthy habits.

More than 450 children learnt the globally recognised seven steps of hand washing during Global Handwashing Day 2022 observed under Caritas India’s Assam Flood Response project funded by ECHO. The programme team sensitized children on how hands get dirty and infected with germs in different activities.

Hand washing has been accepted as an important determinant for reducing the spread of viruses and infections and this notion was strongly reinstated in the last two years of the pandemic. Studies confirm that increased hand washing leads to lower rates of infection.

This year’s theme “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene” aims to grow awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent disease and save lives. Hand hygiene has become an integral part of our life after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the new normal after Covid-19, it is imperative to accelerate hand hygiene progress to prevent any kind of infection, and it requires a collective effort to enact real change.

Caritas India selected children for this awareness due to their vulnerability to infection and disease. It is strongly believed that handwashing among students can reduce the rates of school absenteeism. As part of the ongoing Assam Flood Response project, wall paintings were developed focusing on hand hygiene in schools to create mass awareness. The hand-washing event was also extended to parents and members of the Village Disaster Committee (VDC) in the area.