14th October, 2010
Global Handwashing Day 2010
In the lead up to Global Hand washing Day on the 15th October, AMREF took part in an event at the Science Museum to demonstrate the importance of hand washing.
The event was organised by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who lead the Public-Private Partnership for Hand Washing with Soap. AMREF was invited to take part by our corporate funders GSK, who are also members of the partnership.
Children from four London primary schools spent the morning learning about the importance of hand washing to prevent disease spreading. AMREF UK's CEO, Grace Mukasa, gave a short presentation about AMREF's work during the introductory session, focusing on our PHASE project in Kibera, Kenya.
The children then visited four stalls to learn more about the importance of hand washing. At AMREF's stall, they carried out the 'Glitter Experiment', which shows how easily dirt can be passed on from hand to hand. They then used Tippy Taps to wash the glitter off, and discovered that washing with soap and water is the most effective way to remove all traces of dirt.
Grace Mukasa, AMREF's Chief Executive Officer said: 'Children are the agents of change. We find that in poor communities in Africa, teaching them how important it is to wash their hands is the best way to spread the message of clean hands mean healthy lives'.