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Handwashing with soap is the most effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives - and a critical part of our daily efforts to improve sanitation and health in vulnerable areas. On 15 October, Field Ready team members across the globe helped mark Global Handwashing Day to raise awareness of this powerful health-protection method.
This summer Bryn John, our global technical lead, sent the BBC program "Crowd Science" samples of our Surprise Soap - small soap with embedded 3D-printed toys developed to encourage children to wash their hands more frequently - and the show included the soap in a July program. One of the show's hosts, Dr. Michelle Wong, also made a video again spotlighting the Surpise Soap that the BBC shared on Global Handwashing Day - we appreciated the shout-out!
Even with movement limited as a result of the pandemic, our teams and partners in Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, Syria and Vanuatu continue to focus on hygiene and sanitation daily - team members in those regions are constantly designing, creating and distributing hand sanitizer, hand-sanitizer dispensers, foot-operated taps and portable handwashing stations to help fight disease and improve health.
But it was our Fiji team that celebrated Global Handwashing Day in the biggest way this year, joining with other organizations at Gospel Primary School in Suva, Fiji to help promote #HandHygieneForAll.
In addition to speeches, cake and smiles, everyone from students to the Fijian Minister of Health Ifereimi Waqainabete, M.D., the British High Commissioner, the Australia High Commissioner and other important delegates had a chance to try their handwashing skills using Field Ready's portable foot-operated handwashing station and get a close look at our Better Bucket.
The announcement at the event by Colgate Palmolive Fiji that it will donate 500,000 bars of soap to non-profits in the South Pacific was more good news - here's to #KeepingThoseHandsClean!