Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day is observed every year on 15 October to highlight handwashing with soap as one of the most effective and affordable ways to prevent disease and save lives. The day encourages governments, schools, health facilities, communities and families to make handwashing with soap a daily habit, especially at key moments such as after using the toilet and before eating or handling food.

History

Global Handwashing Day was established in 2008 by the Global Handwashing Partnership, a coalition of international organizations, governments, private sector partners and researchers working to promote hand hygiene worldwide. The day was launched during the International Year of Sanitation to draw attention to how poor hygiene, unsafe water and lack of sanitation contribute to diarrhoeal diseases and child deaths.

Since then, Global Handwashing Day has grown into a worldwide campaign celebrated in more than 100 countries. Each year, a specific theme focuses attention on an important aspect of handwashing, such as the link with health, education, nutrition or resilience during disease outbreaks and emergencies. Activities often include school-based events, community demonstrations, mass handwashing sessions, public commitments by leaders, media campaigns, social media challenges and simple demonstrations of proper handwashing steps.

Scientific evidence shows that handwashing with soap at critical times can reduce diarrhoeal disease risk by roughly 40–50% and respiratory infections, including pneumonia, by about 20%. For young children, especially those under five years of age, this can mean the difference between life and death. Handwashing also helps prevent outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, acute watery diarrhoea and some viral illnesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hand hygiene received renewed global attention as a key measure to reduce transmission.

Why it matters

Diarrhoea and pneumonia remain among the leading causes of death in children under five worldwide, despite being largely preventable. These diseases are often spread through germs on hands that are not visible to the naked eye. After using the toilet, cleaning a child, handling animal waste or touching contaminated surfaces, germs can easily spread to food, drinking water, faces and mouths if hands are not washed properly with soap.

Handwashing with soap breaks this chain of infection. It is simple, low-cost and can be practiced at home, in schools, workplaces, markets and health facilities. Yet in many low- and middle-income countries, millions of households do not have a basic handwashing facility with soap and water. Even where facilities exist, people may not have the habit of washing hands at the right times or using the right technique.

Global Handwashing Day reminds everyone that hand hygiene is a shared responsibility. Governments and development partners need to ensure access to water, soap and handwashing stations in homes, schools and health centres. Teachers and health workers can model and teach proper technique. Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in helping children build lasting habits, such as washing hands after defecation, after cleaning a baby, before breastfeeding, before feeding a child and before preparing or eating food.

The day also highlights the difference between Global Handwashing Day and World Hand Hygiene Day. Global Handwashing Day on 15 October focuses mainly on handwashing with soap among the general public and in households, schools and communities. World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May, led by the World Health Organization, focuses specifically on hand hygiene among healthcare workers and in clinical settings to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

Key facts

In Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, diarrhoea and pneumonia have long been major causes of illness and death among young children. Crowded living conditions, limited access to safe water and sanitation in some areas, and gaps in hygiene practices all contribute to the spread of infection. At the same time, soap and water are relatively inexpensive, and even simple tippy-tap style handwashing stations can dramatically improve hygiene where running water is not available.

Over the past two decades, the Government of Bangladesh, UNICEF, BRAC and other NGOs and development partners have invested heavily in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs. These efforts include installing handwashing stations in schools, community clinics and public places; integrating hygiene education into school curricula; training community health workers; and using mass media and community campaigns to promote handwashing with soap.

After the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted global hygiene gaps, many schools, markets and mosques in Bangladesh introduced or strengthened handwashing facilities, often with foot-operated taps or low-cost, locally made stations. Campaigns around Global Handwashing Day are used as an opportunity to teach children the correct steps of handwashing, organize group demonstrations, distribute soap and posters, and encourage parents to set up simple handwashing points near kitchens and toilets at home.

Despite progress, challenges remain. Some rural and urban poor households still lack convenient access to soap and sufficient water. In busy daily life, people may skip handwashing or rinse quickly without using soap. Cultural norms may not always prioritize handwashing after handling animals, before feeding a child or after cleaning a baby’s stool. Therefore, behaviour change communication remains a key focus of Global Handwashing Day activities in Bangladesh.

On 15 October each year, schools, NGOs, government departments and community groups hold rallies, courtyard meetings, school assemblies, drawing competitions and practical demonstrations. Radio, television and social media share simple messages such as: "Wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating", "Clean hands save children’s lives" and "Soap and water are powerful, low-cost vaccines against germs." These messages are tailored to local languages and contexts so that families in both rural villages and urban slums can relate and act.

For families in Bangladesh, practical steps include keeping soap and water ready near the latrine and cooking area; teaching children to sing or count while rubbing all parts of their hands (palms, backs of hands, fingers, nails and wrists) for at least 20 seconds; reminding family members to wash hands after returning from outside; and making handwashing a shared routine before meals. By building these simple habits, communities can significantly reduce diarrhoea, pneumonia and many other infections.