Global Handwashing Day: A Simple Act That Saves Lives

What is Global Handwashing Day?

Dr. Criley and a student are playing Bubble Beats Trainer side by side in a classroom setting.

Dr Criley and a student playing Bubble Beats Trainer side by side in a classroom setting

Global Handwashing Day (GHD) is a significant global public health observance. Its goal is to raise awareness and promote the importance of handwashing with soap and clean running water, at critical times.

Why? 

To prevent many infectious diseases from spreading, to make people (children and adults) healthier, and to save lives. 

When is GHD celebrated?

Global Handwashing Day (GHD) is observed annually on October 15th.

GHD is celebrated by 200 million people in over 100 countries.

Who founded GHD?

GHD was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) in 2008.

What is the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP)?

The Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP), is a public-private coalition of more than 200 organizations. Some of these organizations include government agencies, multilateral organizations, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions around the world. Some of the most notable members of GHP include: 

But, there are many more…

The GHP also has a number of academic partners, including the University of California, Berkeley; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The GHP was established in 2001 and is hosted by the World Bank. 

Furthermore, the GHP leads the global celebration of Global Handwashing Day. 

Each year, the Partnership develops a theme and materials to help people around the world celebrate and promote handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and ultimately, save lives.

Why do we need Handwashing Public Advocacy Day?

Handwashing with soap and clean running water is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs and infections, and most importantly, to save lives.

“Clean hands are not a luxury – they are a fundamental human right. When we invest in handwashing, we invest in healthier children, stronger economies, and more resilient communities.” Alexandra Machado, IFRC Senior Officer for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Public Health.

More importantly, proper handwashing, using the correct handwashing technique, saves lives.

When done correctly, handwashing can help protect against a wide range of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and other diseases that cause millions of deaths worldwide, including cholera and other causes of diarrhea, upper respiratory infections like the common cold,  pneumonia, and others. 

Inadequate hand hygiene transmits diseases that are especially dangerous for children under the age of five, who account for over half of all deaths from preventable diseases.

Picture showing bubbly hands performing hand washing under a running faucet.
Picture showing bubbly hands performing hand washing under a running faucet

Global Handwashing Day should remind us all that proper handwashing still matters, even in the 21st century. And even more importantly, it is a healthy hygiene life skill that is relevant for both poor and rich countries and everyone in between.

While the needs are different in many countries, the needs for developing consistent handwashing habits and improving handwashing technique remains unmet, worldwide.

Each year, there is a different theme for celebration. For example, the theme for Global Handwashing Day 2023 was “Clean Hands are Within Reach”. It highlighted that we all have to work together to ensure handwashing for everyone, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. 

The theme for #GHD 2025 is “Be a Handwashing Hero,” which encourages everyone to promote good hand hygiene practices to prevent diseases but also to improve health outcomes. In addition, this theme also has a goal to inspire both individuals as well as communities to support handwashign initiatives. 

What can we all do to contribute to Global Handwashing Day? 

Here are a few tips:

  1. Commit to washing your hands regularly, at appropriate times, especially after:
    1. Using the bathroom
    2. Handling thrash
    3. Handling raw meat
    4. Playing with your pets
    5. Coming from outside – especially if in the garden, using public transportation etc.
    6. Sneezing into your hand
    7. Blowing your nose
    8. Coming in contact with vomit or diarrhea
    9. Sharing workspaces and equipment with other people
    10. Before and after food prep
  1. Perform proper handwashing, using the correct handwashing technique.
  2. Teach children about proper handwashing.
    1. If they learn proper technique at an early age and perform good hand hygiene consistently, the benefits will be enormous and lifelong. Both for them personally, as well as for society as a whole.
  1. Organize a handwashing event in your community. What kind of event can that be? That can be literally anything. Here are few ideas:
    1. A classroom or after-school program demonstration 
    2. School assembly
    3. Professional training for caregivers and educators 
    4. Community health fair.
    5. What are your ideas?  

Organizing an event is an excellent way to spread the word about the importance of handwashing. If you need assistance or would like to collaborate, please reach out to Indelible Learning at: support@indl.com 

Indelible Learning Bubble Beats Hand Hygiene Trainer

Thanks to prestigious awards from the National Institutes of Health, we have developed an amazingly innovative and unique mobile app: Bubble Beats Trainer (BBT).

Bubble Beats Trainer (BBT) is creative approach to training the children, of all ages, proper handwashing techniques. 

BBT addresses the missing piece in public health handwashing efforts:  correct handwashing technique.

Bubble Beats Trainer may be downloaded from Apple Stores and Google Stores:

https://indeliblelearning.com/handwashing

Let’s show our enthusiasm for Why, How, and When to wash our hands. 

Let’s teach others how to wash their hands effectively. That is very important for both healthcare workers and educators, as well as our friends, family, and colleagues.

Let’s be positive. 

Let’s be proactive.

Let’s develop and practice good and healthy hand hygiene skills.

If we do, together, we will make progress toward decreasing the transmission of some devastating infectious diseases. As a result, we will help create a world where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthier and more productive life. 

References:

  1. Global Handwashing Partnership https://globalhandwashing.org/

Last accessed October 15th 2025

  1. Global Handwashing Day https://globalhandwashing.org/global-handwashing-day/ 

Last accessed October 15th 2025 

  1. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies https://www.ifrc.org/article/global-handwashing-day-2025-clean-hands-save-lives

Last accessed October 15th 2025

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