The Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Ghana partnered with the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Water Company Limited and the Football for Water Programme to celebrate this year’s Global Handwashing Day (GHD) on the 15th October 2018 at the Ashaiman Cluster of Schools in the Greater Accra Region. The Football for WASH (F4W) Programme is focused on ensuring effective and sustainable service delivery, promotion of behavior change and strengthening the enabling environment to support the enhancement of School-WASH development. One of the key deliverables under this project was to procure 100 handwashing facilities to be placed at convenient locations closer to school children in order to encourage handwashing with soap under running water at all critical times. WiWASH partnered the programme financiers to help build on, strengthen implementation and revitalize partnership for school-WASH development in Ghana.

Mrs. Faustina Boachie, President of WiWASH in her opening address mentioned that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has consistently joined several millions of individuals and organisations around the world in celebrating Global Handwashing Day and the reason is simple- we are convinced that the surest way to improving health in urban areas is to provide all residents including school children with access to safe water so they can wash their hands with soap using safe running water, and keep their environment clean. We remain committed to this vision and to delivering world class services to all our customers.

Indeed, the power to good health is in our hands and so let us all cease this opportunity to practice proper handwashing and to encourage others to do same. Finally, to school authorities and teachers, let us ensure that the facilities we are receiving today will be well protected and put to good use. Let us ensure that handwashing facilities are placed at strategic positions within the school to encourage proper handwashing among school children.

To my school children, let us wash our hands with soap at critical times, especially after using the toilet, and before eating.

In 2018, the Global Handwashing Day theme is ‘Clean hands - A recipe for health’. The theme focuses on the links between handwashing and food, including food hygiene and nutrition. Handwashing is an important part of keeping food safe, preventing diseases, and helping children grow strong.