Series of special projects reaches people in 6 countries
October 11, 2022 – Planet Water Foundation, a leading non-profit organization focused on providing access to clean, safe water is commemorating Global Handwashing Day this year with a renewed push to provide handwashing facilities and hygiene education programs to communities in need.
In the lead up to Global Handwashing Day, which takes place on October 15th, Planet Water Foundation with the support of their corporate partners, will be deploying a total of 20 projects across 6 countries to bring handwashing facilities, education on handwashing and healthy hygiene practices, as well as access to clean, safe drinking water to school children and their families in impoverished, rural communities.
According to U.N. data, in 2019, 818 million children lacked a basic hygiene service at school[1]. Since the organization was founded in 2009, Planet Water’s solutions have provided recipient schools with much-needed handwashing facilities. Planet Water’s AquaTower water filtration system has been deployed in over 1,500 schools across 15 countries and includes an integrated handwashing station with handwashing education messaging in the local language displayed around the base of each system.
Deployed in conjunction with each and every Planet Water project, Planet Water’s Water-Health and Hygiene Education program trains teachers and educates students on germs and how they spread, how to and when to wash hands, along with other healthy hygiene habits.
“Hygiene education has always been a key element of what we do” said Kristen Steele, V.P. Education at Planet Water Foundation. “Recent events have reinforced to everybody how important handwashing is, and we are pleased to be able to extend our impact by providing handwashing facilities and hygiene education to communities which need support.”
This year’s series of projects are made possible by Planet Water’s corporate partners, many of whom have also sent volunteers to join the Planet Water team in each country, helping install handwashing facilities, train teachers and children on handwashing techniques, and providing access to clean safe water in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines and Vietnam.
This year’s project supporters include Automation Anywhere, Capital One Philippines, Electrolux, Escudo Antibacterial, Mativ, Matouk, The Starbucks Foundation, Watts Water Technologies, Inc., and Xylem.
[1]. Handwashing and Hand Hygiene | UN-Water (unwater.org).
