The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has announced the activities planned for this year’s Global Handwashing Day (GHD), scheduled for October 15, 2024.
With the theme “Why are clean hands still important?” the day will serve as a crucial reminder of the continuing importance of hand hygiene in public health.
Theodora Adomako-Adjei, Director of Extension and Commercial Services and coordinator at CWSA, told the media on Sunday that the national event to be held at the Bawalashie Cluster of Schools in East Legon, Accra, would feature school children, food vendors, and community members.
Mrs. Adomako-Adjei said these groups of people would participate in educational activities aimed at promoting proper hand hygiene practices.
She said the activities would include demonstrations of correct handwashing techniques with soap, sketches performed by students and vendors on the significance of hand hygiene, and sensitization campaigns targeting food vendors, shop owners, and community members.
“The event aims to drive home the point that handwashing remains a key defence against diseases,” the CWSA official stressed.
The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Lydia Seyram Alhassan is expected to deliver the keynote address at the event, which will also host other dignitaries and development partners.
These high-level interactions will further reinforce the national push to promote and maintain proper hygiene standards across the country.
Mrs. Adomako-Adjei urged all partners in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector to come together in support of this important initiative to help deepen the conversation on hand hygiene and encourage consistent handwashing practices in homes, schools, and workplaces.
CWSA, along with the Ghana Education Service (GES), has been a driving force behind the planning of the annual Global Handwashing Day events in Ghana.
Global Handwashing Day 2024 is expected to be a significant step forward in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to strengthen public health through hand hygiene, with a focus on reducing the spread of preventable diseases through clean hands.