Kajol pushes for a simple life-saver called hand washing

Kajol says sanitation is an important part of neo-natal care. Photo: Vivek Bendre

“I got weird looks when I was going on about the importance of washing hands. People would say there is cancer and AIDS to talk about and you are talking about this,” actor Kajol Devgan says.

Speaking to The Hindu before the launch of the “Help a Child Reach 5” programme, she said, “I got involved with this campaign as ambassador. Handwashing is the cheapest way to address the issue of child mortality; it’s just about implementing it.”

Lifebuoy’s “Help A Child Reach 5” initiative has revealed that every year, two million children fail to reach their fifth birthday because of diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. The Kuch Kuch Hota Hai actress is a mother of two and that made this campaign important for her personally.

“It hits you harder when you have kids and you know that you have done something right and someone else has not. No parent wants to face this feeling that you could have done something about saving your child and you did not. I speak to the doctor non-stop when my child has diarrhoea or a cold and cough. Your child is your life and it is a big deal when your child is ill. We have to stay up at night and take care of them, but you do it. It’s in times like this that you realise how important it is to be clean and hygienic, how important it is to have boiling water, to keep your child’s surroundings dust-free. I tend to overdo it at home sometimes; I have alienated quite a lot of family,” she said.

The initiative aims to change the hand-washing behaviour of nine million children in Bihar. “We want to spread the message to everybody about the importance of washing your hands with soap and now we have taken it up in Bihar,” Kajol said.

Rural training

This project will be delivered by almost 600 trained health promoters who will visit villages with targeted materials and activities for children and mothers to reinforce hand-washing behaviour.

“The parents and children don’t realise the importance of using soap. So this programme will educate thousands of people, including pregnant women and new mothers, on the benefits of hand washing with soap. Our latest video, the story of a new mother, also talks about this,” she said.