Leading global antiseptic brand, Dettol, has unveiled “Give Life a Hand” campaign commemorating the 2014 Global Handwashing Day (GHD) and as a way of further strengthening its commitment to improved hygiene practices and handwashing habits in Nigeria.
The campaign is kicking off as a consumer study, revealed that only four percent of Nigerians wash their hands regularly. Regular hand washing is the first line of defence from preventable diseases like Diarrhea, to the latest menace of Ebola Virus Disease.
The “Give Life a Hand” is a global campaign to raise awareness about the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention of deaths of children under the age of five from preventable illnesses such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, often caused by poor hygiene. At the launch in Lagos, Tuesday, notable Nigerian celebrities including Patience Ozokwo (Mama G) and Omoni Oboli, took their time to educate school children on the need to always wash their hands.
Speaking at the event, Rahul Murgai, the general manager, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, said “our global vision is to have a world where people are healthier and live better. In achieving this, we will continue to make a difference by giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.”
According to him, Dettol has been at the forefront of providing health and hygiene messages via its products and initiatives to Nigeria for the last 50 years, adding that since 2006, the company has reached out to over five million mothers in health facilities and three million children in different schools across Nigeria, with the message of healthier living through regular washing of hands. He said the target now is to reach one thousand Nigerians every year and impress on them to embrace healthy living.
‘‘Keeping in line with the spirit of our vision and heritage in Nigeria, we initiated our the campaign in 2014; a pledge to save ten million lives helping Nigeria reach its millennium development goals in terms of reducing infant mortality rate. As the next step to our commitment to improving the awareness of best hygiene practices in Nigeria, we are delighted to launch today our new Give Life A Hand campaign in Nigeria”, he added.
Shedding light on Dettol’s involvement in the Global Handwashing Day Initiative, Oguzhan Silivrili, marketing director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, said the campaign has been carefully conceptualised to amplify the key message of this year’s Global Handwashing Day, with the theme‘Choose handwashing, choose health’.
Dettol, a leading antiseptic brand is renowned for protecting millions of families from germs globally and in Nigeria. With its commitment to health and hygiene, the “Give Life a Hand Campaign” is expected to further improve the hand hygiene situation of millions of household in Nigeria and significantly help to reduce death arising from preventable diseases
JOSHUA BASSEY
