Thousands of children in the district were explained the importance of washing their hands on Tuesday at anganwadis, government, aided and private schools. The campaign was taken up to mark the Global Handwashing Day.
D. Manimekalai, Project Officer of (ICDS), a Central Government-sponsored social welfare scheme, said that nearly 70 per cent of the diseases can be avoided by washing hands.
Children coming to anganwadi centres were explained six different techniques of hand washing. They were also told when to wash hands, such as before and after meals and after answering nature’s call. Demonstrations were also given at the anganwadi centres.
Chief Educational Officer A. Gnanagowri said that similar programmes were observed at Government, aided and private schools in the district. The students were also told to take the message home. Demonstrations were given during the school prayers.
World Vision India, a development advocacy organisation, also undertook a week-long campaign that would cover 4,500 children in nine Corporation, Government and private schools in the city. The campaign would also cover residents of urban slums, according to K. Vetriselvan John, Programme Manager (Coimbatore), World Vision.
The campaign would also include contained interactive sessions in which the participants could clear their doubts with the resource persons, who would be school Headmasters or World Vision staff.
Observed annually on October 15, the Global Handwashing Day is a campaign to motivate people to wash their hands with soap and create awareness about how hand-washing was a key approach to disease prevention.
