DUSHANBE, October 18, 2010, Asia-Plus – Ms. Necia Quast, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, on October 15 visited school #46 in Khuji Bolo village, in the Chuzi jamoat of Shahrinav district, to celebrate Global Handwashing Day, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.

The U.S. Embassy, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Safe Drinking Water Project and the USAID and Mercy Corps Maternal and Child Health Project promoted Global Handwashing Day in eight communities in Tursunzoda, Shahrinav, Sarband, Khuroson, Hissar, Taboshar, Ghonchi and Mastchoh districts.  USAID trained hundreds of active students to pass on critically important health and hygiene information to other primary school children in order to prevent the spread of deadly diseases.

“Washing hands with soap saves more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. Hand washing with soap needs to be not just an idea but an everyday behavior in homes, schools, and communities worldwide,” stressed Chargé d’Affaires Quast in her speech.

As part of the project, USAID trained students to take the lead to promote healthy behaviors in their schools and communities and present and disseminate key health messages to their primary school classmates. Younger students were invited to design their own public health messages, and the Water, Sanitation & Health Committee (WASH) members and teachers in each community selected the best artwork and messages. Other Global Handwashing Day activities included student competitions, skits, and discussions.

Inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene, and unsafe water claim the lives of an estimated 1.6 million children under the age of five worldwide every year.

USAID works with health facilities, the private sector and schools all over the world to help children to improve their own health, hygiene, nutrition, and sanitation. The Tajikistan Safe Drinking Water Project is one of the many development projects supported in Tajikistan by the United States Agency for International Development. Since 1992, the American people through the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe have provided approximately $900 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.