October 15

Global
Handwashing
Day
ANNEX 4.
Sample Press
Release
The text below can be copied and modied to help you draft a press release to publicize
your event with local media.
Preventable illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia contribute to the deaths of 1.7 million children
each year. (If appropriate, insert facts about your country here). However, there is an afordable, simple,
and efective way to reduce the risk of illness and death from these diseaseshandwashing with soap.
Handwashing with soap plays an important role in child survival and health. Simply handwashing with
soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhea among children under ve by 47 percent and respiratory
infections by approximately 25 percent. On October 15, 2014, Global Handwashing Day, hundreds of
millions of people around the world will celebrate the importance of handwashing with soap by rallying
around the slogan: Choose handwashing, choose health.
Aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap
as an efcient and economical way to prevent disease, Global Handwashing Day will reach over one
billion people with messages about handwashing. The founders of Global Handwashing Day, the
Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW), and its partners encourage everyone
to join in this celebration empowering people everywhere to save lives and contribute to healthy,
prosperous communities through choosing handwashing with soap, both on Global Handwashing
Day and beyond.
Showcase why handwashing is important to your
community here. Some examples of information
you may want to include is:
y Findings from formative research
(i.e. How frequently do people was their
hands? What are motivators
for handwashing?)
y Status of handwashing in schools
Include information about your event here:
y Objective
y Organizers
y Location
y How many people are expected to attend
y Contact information of organizers.
For more information on how you can celebrate Global Handwashing Day visit
www.globalhandwashing.org or www.facebook.com/GlobalHandwashingDay.
ANNEX 4.
Sample Press Release
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