Many common illnesses can be prevented by increasing the
practice of hand washing. To promote better health and hygiene,
the Afghan Ministry of Public Health and the international
community led celebrations of Global Hand Washing Day across the
country on October 15. USAID’s Afghan Sustainable Water Supply
and Sanitation (SWSS) project and the Afghan Government
supported the day in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Laghman, Logar,
Nangarhar, and Takhar provinces by providing soap and water at
community events. Based on annual statistics, diarrheal diseases
and acute respiratory infections are responsible for the deaths
of more than 67,500 children under the age of five in
Afghanistan. One of SWSS’s key objectives is to promote improved
hygiene practices and reduce diarrheal diseases within
communities. To achieve this, SWSS works with communities to
improve key hygiene behaviors such as hand washing with soap,
safe water transport and storage, and the use of improved pit
latrines. This year’s theme of Global Hand Washing