Water and soap: Oftentimes, this is all it takes to provide effective protection of our health. Yet there are millions of children, particularly in developing countries, living in inadequate sanitary conditions – and dying of infectious diseases due to a lack of hygiene. The purpose of Global Handwashing Day on October 15 is to change this. Villeroy & Boch supports this worldwide initiative with activities of its own.
Soap and water remain among the simplest and most effective methods of preventing infections. This is why it should be a matter of course for people to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. But this hygiene measure, a part of everyday life for so many, must be learned – the earlier the better. Worldwide, however, many children are living in inadequate sanitary conditions; there is also a lack of sound educational outreach with regard to hygiene and infectious diseases. The purpose of Global Handwashing Day on October 15 is to remedy this deficit with targeted activities and information.
Within the framework of this initiative, and in its role as a provider of sanitary products, Villeroy & Boch wants to promote greater awareness of problems of hygiene and is taking part in Global Handwashing Day with numerous communications measures. The company is also launching the “Wash your hands with the little ones!” campaign, an initiative designed to encourage parents all over the world to practice washing their hands with their children. In this connection, the company is encouraging entries to a photo contest: Those who take snapshots of their children washing their hands and submit the photos to Villeroy & Boch will be entered in a drawing for a children’s vanity (washbasin and tap fitting) and for Villeroy & Boch children’s tableware. “With this campaign by Villeroy & Boch, we want to create greater awareness of Global Handwashing Day in this country too,” explains Almut Hähner-Ural, Head of Press and Public Relations at Villeroy & Boch. “Awareness is a first small step that can lead to enormous change – all over the world. As an international company, we want to make a contribution.”
The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008. It marks the climax of an annual week of activities taking place in 80 countries on five continents with the support of governments, communities, international institutions, non-governmental organizations, businesses and private individuals. The activities, campaigns and individual measures take place in local communities, often in public facilities such as schools and kindergartens.