Waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, is donating handwashing items to schools.
The donation forms part of Zoomlion’s activities to commemorate Global Handwashing Day (GHD), which is celebrated annually on October 15th. The theme for GHD 2022 is “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene.”
The Global Handwashing Day is an advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of the significance of handwashing with soap as an effective tool to prevent diseases and save lives.
The items included 150 Veronica buckets, 300 paper towels, 50 waste bins, 50 gallons of handwashing soap and 300 hand sanitizers.
The presentation was done by the Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Ms. Adwoa Appiah Osei Duah, who was accompanied by the Coordinator of Zoomlion Foundation Thomas Narh Korley.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, Ms. Appiah Osei Duah explained that Global Handwashing Day is relevant as handwashing among children formed the basis of hygiene, hence awareness must be increased, especially among children.
She said the items from Zoomlion were to aid in effective handwashing among school children, adding that the theme for the celebration was appropriate.
“The onset of Covid-19 taught us a lesson on handwashing; a practice that should be made part of an individual’s life,” she advised.
She, therefore, encouraged Ghanaians to make handwashing a regular activity.
This year’s Global Handwashing Day will fall on Saturday, October 15, a reason Zoomlion chose to commemorate the Day with LaNkwantanang GES on Thursday, October 13, in order to meet and interact with the Zoomkids of Ayi Mensah Basic School in the La Nkwantanang Madina-Municipal Assembly (LaNMMA) in the Greater Accra Region.
The Municipal Director of Education, La Nkwantanang Madina-Municipal Assembly, Mr. Kean Adjei Appiah, who received the donations on behalf of Madina schools, thanked Zoomlion for the gesture, and assured that the items will serve their intended purpose.
He indicated that handwashing has enormous health benefits, stating that the day was established by health authorities against the backdrop that diligent washing of hands with soap under running water has positive impact on lives.
According to him, diarrhoea has been reduced by 30%, acute respiratory infections by 20% and the transmission of outbreak-related pathogens such as cholera, Ebola, SARS and Covid-19 amongst others have largely been reduced, all because of handwashing during the Covid period.
He, therefore, implored parents to assist head teachers to instill hand washing discipline in children.