Top 5 Activities on Global Hand Washing Day

Hi there,

October 15th is observed every year as the Global Hand Washing Day. 

You must be wondering why this silly activity deserves a global day, right?

Well, your 'silly' activity is one of the most important weapons in the fight against several diseases such as shigellosis, typhoid, cholera, all other common endemic gastro-enteric infections and some respiratory infections such as influenza and pneumonia! 

How's that for a wake-up call? So, now that you are fully awake, here is some more information on it's importance.

Just as little as one gram of human feces can contain a whopping 10 million viruses and up to 1 million bacteria! Cleaning hands with soap after contact with fecal material prevents transmission of such viruses and bacteria that cause diarrheal diseases. Studies have proven this beyond doubt. In fact, hand washing is considered as the 'DIY' vaccine as it is an easy, effective and affordable method of preventing disease.

So how has your NSS unit decided to observe the day this year?

Here are five activities that you could do:

1. Poster Making Competition

This is a popular method of observing important days, among many NSS units. This has the benefit of encouraging the artistic talents of students, in addition to spreading the message of the day. For an effective judging, students of different age groups should be judged separately itself.

2. Debate

A good debate is an eternal crowd favorite. There will always be opposing views to any topic. A debatable topic could be 'Global Hand Washing Day puts undue pressure on students' or, even an simpler 'Does hand washing deserve a global day?' Be ready to play the referee though, as students tend to get carried away at times.

3. Essay Writing Competition
An essay writing competition is the easiest among competitions. The organizer just needs to provide the venue. After the allotted time is over, the entries would be handed over to the judging panel. Many students who are introverted in nature prefer writing than speaking competitions. 

4. Movie Screening
Screening a short film or a movie that conveys the message of hand washing is a great way to observe the day. Visual media is the most popular among students today, and therefore it is the best tool to impress upon them the need for cleanliness.

5. Hand washing competition
A fun way to observe the day would be a hand washing competition. Of course you would first have to get their hands dirty! I have seen a competition where they combined a painting with hand washing... Yes you guessed it right - first they conducted a hand painting competition where the students had to paint a picture using their bare hands and the colors provided; then the students had to clean their hands within a stipulated time. Genius, right?

These are my top 5 ideas.

What do you think is the best way to observe this day? Share your thoughts in the comments below.