FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Peace Corps Joins Local Communities Worldwide in Observing Global Handwashing Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. On October, 15th, Peace Corps volunteers will join communities around the world to observe Global Handwashing Day. Washing hands with soap and water is the most simple and inexpensive way to prevent the spread of disease and infection. Peace Corps volunteers are using fun and effective techniques like art projects, rhymes, songs and informative workshops to teach children how to properly wash their hands and to set positive examples for their families and friends.

Currently, approximately 7,500 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 74 countries. Nearly 35 percent of the volunteers work in education and another 20 percent work in public health fields.

Examples of Peace Corps Global Handwashing Day Projects:

• Volunteers in Niger are working with local children to create hand washing rhymes and teaching Hausa-speaking students the Wanke Hannu (Hand washing) song.


• Vanuatu volunteers are installing tippy tap hand washing stations in local communities and organizing soap-making workshops.


• Albania Peace Corps volunteers are competing against each other to see who can disseminate proper hand washing information to the greatest number of children.

In addition to these specific examples, Peace Corps volunteers are implementing proper hand washing instruction in many of the schools and communities they work and live in every day.

A video highlighting Peace Corps Global Handwashing Day efforts and proper hand washing technique follows.

Initiated in 2008 by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap, Global Handwashing Day is endorsed by a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies and individuals around the globe.

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