Global Handwashing Day

I had no idea this existed, but October 15 is Global Handwashing Day.  This caught my attention because I have taken the glo-germ box and lotion around Magic Valley (thanks to Cassia 4H!)  to teach about the importance of soap when we wash.  The kids are convinced I pump germs on their hands when I give them the lotion.  So here is more info on this topic, along with a picture of my son's hands in the glow box!

Global Handwashing Day
October 15

The practice of handwashing with soap tops the international hygiene agenda on October 15 with the celebration of Global Handwashing Day. Since its inception in 2008 – which was designated as the International Year of Sanitation by the UN General Assembly – Global Handwashing Day has been echoing and reinforcing the call for improved hygiene practices worldwide.
The guiding vision of Global Handwashing Day is a local and global culture of handwashing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at critical moments (for example, after using the toilet, while cleaning a child, and before handling food).
The challenge is to transform handwashing with soap from an abstract good idea into an automatic behavior performed in homes, schools, and communities worldwide. Turning handwashing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter.
Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people across five continents to wash their hands with soap.

For more information, see the flyer (PDF) and access Global Handwashing Day on the web.