One of my favorite prayers is this: Dear God, No child should suffer any major illness until the age of 5.
Lifebuoy’s campaign “Help a Child reach 5” promoted by world-famous film star and Mom, Kajol, synchronizes nicely with my deepest wish – to support something as simple as the cause of hand washing to eradicate diarrhea, one village at a time. The focus is on Thesgora, a village in Madhya Pradesh, India, which suffers from the highest rate of diarrhea.
Kajol is one of my favorite stars and I am thrilled to show you this video where she explains the importance of hand washing to prevent child deaths, urging you to donate for this cause.
It breaks my heart to think that adopting one simple habit – hand washing – before we eat and after we use the washroom – can prevent death by diarrhea.
Washing hands with soap is our first defense against infectious diseases.
Through the Help a child reach 5 campaign, Kajol is using her voice to urge people to donate to the hand washing programs, which can conveniently made online from the comfort of your keyboard right here:
Watch this video Donate now by using the “Donate” button in the video.
Your donations will go to Population Services International (PSI), a prominent health organization implementing hand washing programs.
Each donation received will be matched by Lifebuoy.
In addition to this, Lifebuoy will also donate 1 Rupee to hand washing programs each time the “Help a Child Reach 5” video is shared online. How easy is that? Share now!
Please, please let’s help a child reach 5!
What Mother can bear the death of her child from a preventable disease? Especially when the simple act of hand washing can save so many lives?
Just look at the statistics:
- 15 children worldwide die from diarrhea or pneumonia every 15 seconds
- In India, over 600000 children under 5 die each year from diarrhea and pneumonia
Hand washing with soap can save millions of children’s lives, reducing diarrhea by 45% and pneumonia by 23%
Here is Gondappa walking on his hands, celebrating the joy of his child surviving his 5th birthday after losing his children to diarrhea.
It is gratifying to learn that Lifebuoy has managed to change the hand washing habits of 130 million people thus far. Their programs promote hand washing with soap to school children, new Moms and the community, with the goal being to help more children reach their fifth birthday. This goal aligns with the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) – to reduce the mortality of children under five by two-thirds by 2015.
As India’s largest selling and most popular soap, since 1895, Lifebuoy is synonymous with health and hygiene. What household hasn’t rushed around its morning duties to the tune of its ad “Tandurusti ki raksha karta hai Lifebuoy”? (Lifebuoy protects good health) Mine certainly has – in three different languages – and I even have the jingle as one of my phone ringtones!
I am proud to support Lifebuoy’s vision of “Making a billion Indians feel safe and secure by meeting all their health and hygiene needs”. Their immediate aim is to change the hand washing behavior of one billion people by 2015.
Get involved, dear readers! Help a Child reach 5!
Watch Lifebuoy’s Help a Child Reach 5 video
For more information, visit Lifebuoy on Facebook.
Check out Lifebuoy ‘s website
Remember, hand washing can save your life.
Post Sponsored by Lifebuoy – but all thoughts are my own,naturally.
12 comments
Kudos to you for doing your bit to spread this message!
It’s great to see like Kajol, Big B (Polio), Aamir Khan (Malnutrition) and others use their celebrity status for noble causes.
Proactive Indian recently posted…Democracy
Yes! And Vidya Balan, too, promoting hygiene via the building of toilets. I love it when celebrities leverage their position and popularity to do good! Thank you, Proactive Indian!
Vidya Sury recently posted…It Can Only Get Better
Thank you for spreading the word for such a wonderful cause Vidya. Bless you!
Carolyn Hughes recently posted…Who cares?
Thank you, Carolyn! 🙂
Good job spreading this message Vidya. We always wash our hands before preschool begins… teachers, parents and the students. It really cuts down on sickness!
Betsy/Zen Mama recently posted…5 Simple Tips To Create A Balanced Life
Hand washing is so very crucial. Studies show that, 80 percent of infections are transmitted by direct and indirect contact, thus, hand washing is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children. A small basic habit which must be inculcated from childhood can make a huge difference.
Kudos to Lifebuoy and you too for spreading the word for this wonderful initiative! 🙂
Shilpa Garg recently posted…STOP.
Thank you, Shilpa. It is heart breaking that in some of our villages, there are no toilets, no potable water and no electricity. I am happy that Lifebuoy has taken this initiative. Imagine how a parent would feel – to celebrate their child surviving 5 years!
very nice post
Our grandparents always advocated personal hygiene and washing of the hands was the priority, before meal-times before praying to God etc. Its good to see the cine stars come out and support these causes.
A very nice deed, Vidya. Its a very informative post. I have already donated
Kajal Kapur recently posted…Truly Alive
Such a simple thing that we might take for granted, but what a difference it makes!
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted…The 7 Practices Of Mindful Eating
Kajol is really doing a wonderful job, being an on-screen bubbly Mommy, who spills noodles with kids. The kids actually listen to her. At least my kids do. 🙂 A really wonderful initiative by Lifebuoy. Would definitely spread the word. Each one teach one.
Rekha recently posted…Don’t scold them. The world scolds them enough.