Global Handwashing Day

On Global Handwashing Day , the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement calls on everyone to recognize handwashing as essential to health and dignity in every community. Everyone can be a handwashing hero. Teachers can make handwashing part of the daily routine in classrooms.   Healthcare workers and managers can ensure facilities have soap and water for patients and staff. Community leaders can champion handwashing stations in public spaces and during emergencies.   Policymakers can ensure that handwashing facilities are included in every school, health facility, and community plans. On October 15th , Global Handwashing Day and every day, let's work together to ensure that everyone, everywhere can access the soap and water they need to stay healthy and safe. Learn more about the IFRC’s work in water, sanitation and hygiene .

When Ecuadorian Red Cross volunteers visited hard-to-reach communities in Mastrantral District on Ecuador's coastline in March 2025 to provide vaccinations, they also conducted handwashing demonstrations and emphasized the importance of clean hands. This work is part of the Programmatic Partnership between IFRC, National Societies and the European Union . “Certain places are hard to reach, but we do our best to reach these communities that need it.” says Lisette Pinargote Villón, a volunteer with Ecuadorian Red Cross. “We have taught the community the importance of handwashing, and also that they should take care to avoid diseases that are common here, such as dengue.” By integrating handwashing promotion with vaccination activities, the Red Cross ensures that families receive comprehensive health support. This combined approach helps communities stay healthy not just through immunization, but also through everyday practices that prevent the spread of disease.

A volunteer from the Nepal Red Cross Society offers a hand-washing demonstration for community members in a district recently impacted by an outbreak of cholera. In Nepal's Madhesh Province, a severe drought has led to a cholera outbreak due to lack of water for drinking and hygiene. Since July 2025, Nepal Red Cross volunteers have been working across eight affected districts to help people stay safe and healthy. Volunteers are teaching families proper handwashing techniques through household demonstrations. This is especially important given that handwashing with soap can reduce diarrheal diseases like cholera by 30 percent. They're also providing safe drinking water through water trucking and installing water storage tanks , distributing soap and water treatment tablets, setting up emergency toilets , and going door-to-door to share health messages . So far, Nepal Red Cross has reached over 1,300 people with hygiene promotion and distributed safe water to thousands more acr...

  The evidence is clear: good hand hygiene through handwashing with soap or alcohol-based handrub can dramatically reduce the transmission of diseases that claim millions of lives each year. Beyond disease prevention, hand hygiene brings wider benefits. Studies show it reduces school absenteeism and improves wellbeing, dignity, and productivity – creating ripple effects that strengthen entire communities. Community volunteer Marijan shares health and hygiene tips with Sayedul Amin and Setara Begum, two residents of a camp for displaced people from Myanmar, located in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In Camp 13 in Cox's Bazar, Sayedul Amin and his wife Setara Begum have transformed their shelter into a model of healthy living. Their home is clean and organized, with a small garden where fresh vegetables grow. Their two sons have learned to wash their hands regularly, a habit their parents practice and teach every day. The family learned about proper hygiene from Marijan, a Bangladesh Red ...

This Global Handwashing Day , we're excited to share a tutorial on best handwashing practices from field officers Joyce and Patience, along with students from Emusala Primary School in Western Kenya.

In Hama, health awareness teams from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are teaching students about diseases related to water and hygiene. Through a two-month campaign supported by the Norwegian Red Cross, volunteers reached over 21,500 students across 34 schools. The teams worked with students from grades 1 to 6, using lessons designed for each age group. Volunteers taught interactive sessions on how diarrheal diseases spread, how to prevent them, and the correct steps for handwashing, while also clearing up common myths about personal hygiene.

A simple act that takes less than a minute can be the difference between life and death. Yet billions of people around the world still don't have access to basic handwashing facilities at home, at school, or in their local health clinic. As the world marks Global Handwashing Day, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is highlighting how hand washing with soap  protects millions of people from deadly diseases  and strengthens communities around the globe. Handwashing with soap is one of the most effective and affordable ways to prevent disease, but too many people still can't access it, leaving them vulnerable to infections that are entirely preventable. "Clean hands are not a luxury – they are a fundamental human right," said Alexandra Machado, IFRC Senior Officer for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Public Health. "When we invest in handwashing, we invest in healthier children, stronger economies, and more resilient communities."

In March 2025, Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers in Wakiso District in central Uganda delivered more than 60 handwashing facilities to schools and district offices during ongoing Mpox and Ebola outbreaks. Volunteers gave talks to students about proper handwashing techniques and explained the warning signs for both diseases, encouraging children to tell their parents or teachers right away if they notice any symptoms. In healthcare settings, proper hand hygiene protects against infections and helps combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. It also contributes to reducing neglected tropical diseases.