The power is in your hands

October 15th was Global Handwashing Day.  This is a fact that may have passed you by in the developed world but here in Sierra Leone this was a big day.  To learn more about it click here.

I have a number of friends who work in WASH.  This is the acronym for  Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. From these friends I have learnt more about toilets and santation systems than I could ever wish.  To find out more about their work here in West Africa look at this link.

Diarrhea, the second most common cause of death in the under fives globally,  kills 1.8 million children per year.  This could be dramatically reduced by handwashing.  Something we take for granted but this is not the case in many countries where poverty is rife. In Sierra Leone half of the deaths of children under five could be prevented by good handwashing.

The WASH Consortium in Sierra Leone came up with a novel way to publicise Handwashing - a Flash Mob Dance around a song telling the benefits of handwashing.  I was out of town and missed it but here is the video that has been produced which shows the joy and exuberance of all who took part.  I've not been able to load video but here's the link:

Sierra Leone's First FLASHMOB

Here are a couple of pics to show the mood!

Congratulations to all who took part in such an amazing event.