Unilever Ghana Limited on Friday launched a social mission campaign dubbed: “Help a Child Reach 5” (HACR5), to deepen public awareness on the importance of effective hand washing.

The campaign which was out-doored in Accra was primarily aimed at reducing the present rate of under-five mortality, which had been largely attributed to preventable diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea. 

It sought to encourage the habits of proper hand washing and good sanitation practices among the public, especially mothers, caregivers and children.

Mr Ziobeieton Yeo, the Managing Director of Unilever, said the public would be educated on the five principles and benefits of practicing proper hand washing before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and after visiting the toilet, as well as during daily bathing sessions, so as to reduce or eliminate common germs that caused infections, especially in children. 

He explained that the “Help a Child Reach 5” Campaign, formed part of the company’s vision to complement Government’s efforts to combat child mortality, to propel the country’s effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal three, which targeted improved health through good sanitation.

“Through this social mission, we seek to help eradicate under -five mortality by promoting basic hygiene behaviours among Ghanaians,” adding that the campaign would mobilise the Ghanaian society to adopt and practice hand washing with soap during the five occasions.     

Mr Yeo said it was unacceptable that a huge number of children under the age of five across the world should die annually from diseases that could be easily prevented by adopting basic hygiene lifestyle and attitudinal changes such as washing hands properly with soap under running water and observing clean environments to avoid contamination.

He said Unilever had already taken the campaign to several schools across the country to teach pupils and teachers the right way to wash their hands regularly, and by the introduction of its new Lifebuoy Lemon Fresh soap with “activ naturol” shield, there was a greater assurance of protection from 10 infection causing germs.

He said the present campaign would be a nationwide approach to reach new mothers and health professionals. 

Ms Tina Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health, commended Unilever Ghana, for the sustained partnership with the Ministry towards health interventions, such as the hand washing campaign that was yielding great dividend and contributed to reducing under-five mortality rates.

She said the Ministry would work together with them to ensure success in other areas of enforcing hand washing cultures in health institutions to prevent the spread of infections that were often the cause of complications.

Ms Nana Yaa Kissi, Director of Personal Care Unilever Ghana Nigeria, expressed confidence in the initiative, saying it would raise awareness about the critical contribution of hand washing with soap under running water to prevent children from infection-causing germs. 

Ms Kissi charged parents to make hand washing a lifestyle for their children, adding that parents had aspirations for their children and children also had ambitions, “but these are often aborted or cut short by a little germ innocently picked up and consumed because child or parent does not wash their hands with soap and water. “        

She explained that this simple habit of washing hands with soap could reduce infant deaths by 25 per cent and ensures that more children lived to reach the age of five.    

Representatives from the Ministries of Health, Education and Sanitation were present at the launch and commended Unilever for rolling out the campaign. 

Unilever also launched a reformulated Lifebuoy with new variants, which gives complete protection from ten infection-causing germs.