Devex: Experts call for more investment and action on Global Handwashing Day
“Global Handwashing Day has long been a calendar fixture, but experts say this year may mark the first time it has been given due attention, which should be used to build on the momentum created by COVID-19. Leaders and the development community should seize on the high-level political interest in the preventive role of water, sanitation, and hygiene to help reach Sustainable Development Goal 3, which includes hand hygiene, said Juste Hermann Nansi, Burkina Faso country director at the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. … Taking place each year on Oct. 15, Global Handwashing Day is used to encourage people to improve their hand-washing habits. Poor sanitation and hygiene can lead to diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, and cholera, as well as neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma, schistosomiasis, and leprosy…” (Root, 10/15).

U.N. News: Three billion people globally lack handwashing facilities at home: UNICEF
“According to new estimates from UNICEF, 40 percent of the world’s population — or 3 billion people — do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home. The number is much higher in least developed countries, where nearly three-quarters go without…” (10/15).