On World Hand Hygiene Day, these 5 organisations are championing the cause

At present, the world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic — something that has taken control of our every breath and is putting immense pressure on personal hygiene — especially hand hygiene.

With the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases globally, people are taking necessary precautions to prevent the infection. In such unprecedented times, the WHO, in its guidelines, has asked people to wash their hands for 20 seconds regularly with soap.

Each year on May 5, as a global effort taken by the World Health Organisation, the world celebrates World Hand Hygiene Day. This year, the “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” campaign, will be celebrating the efforts of nurses and midwives who are playing a vital role in the prevention of the novel coronavirus.

According to WHO, two in five healthcare facilities lack the basic hand hygiene amenity as a point of care. While the global organisation is planning activities for the day, including the #safehandschallenge video by healthcare workers, here’s how these organisations are promoting hand hygiene in these bleak times.

UNICEF with Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old climate change activist who took the world by storm in 2018 with her ‘School strike for climate’ initiative, is now directing her activism to help the kids affected by COVID-19. She has tied up with the United Nations to protect children from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by providing them with essentials, including soaps, face masks, and hand gloves.

Greta donated $100,000 for the campaign from the award money she had received from the Danish anti-poverty charity Human Act, which has also donated $100,000 to UNICEF to kickstart the campaign.

The proceeds from the donations will be directed towards providing more hygiene supplies and healthcare facilities to the most vulnerable groups.

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ZEE5 with Dettol

The global OTT (over-the-top) platform for Indian contact Zee5 has partnered with leading disinfectant brand Dettol to launch a social message for its viewers in Bangladesh. This comes after the OTT platform was recently introduced in the country.

The collaboration aims to encourage families to stay home during the outbreak, and maintain the necessary sanitary conditions to prevent the infection from spreading.

Earlier last month, Dettol launched a PSA which was targeted to raise awareness on handwashing and its importance during the pandemic. Through a small video, the brand talks about the recommended 20-second handwashing method, which is said to be most effective.

Lizol’s #DisinfectToProtect

Consumer health and hygiene brand Reckitt Benckiser also launched a nationwide awareness campaign – #DisinfectToProtect, in collaboration with Network 18. With its disinfectant product Lizol, the brand aims to educate people on the need to keep surfaces clean to break the chain through its campaign.

With several bytes from educational films along with celebrities, including Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D’Souza, Ganesh Venktataram, and Nisha Venktataram, the campaign urges people to frequently disinfect their surfaces – not just floors, but tabletops, kitchen counters, door handles, etc.

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Godrej No. 1 shot-at-home TVC

The soap brand from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), Godrej No. 1, devised a campaign via a TVC and a print leg. The campaign stresses the importance of frequent handwashing, according to WHO’s handwashing guidelines with soap as a preventive measure against the deadly virus.

The simple TVC revolves around a couple, wherein the husband walks in with a bag of groceries and his wife urges him to wash his hands with the “No. 1” way to ensure protection against the virus.

The TVC was shot completely at home, maintaining the norms of social distancing within a record time of eight hours.

Welspun’s Digital Campaign

Welspun India, a home textiles brand, recently launched a campaign not only for hand hygiene and washing but also the importance of towel cleanliness. While washing hands is important, towel drying plays an important role that people tend to often ignore.

The company highlights the importance of a clean and hygienic dry towel post handwash to dry hands via a digital advisory on social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.

Just like the WHO and UNICEF guidelines on the importance of using clean towels, Welspun also tries to bring focus to this crucial aspect through its campaign.