Peace Corps Volunteers Use Handwashing to Teach Better Hygiene
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Simple training provides sustainable solution to avoid disease
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 20, 2011 In commemoration of Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15, 2011, Peace Corps volunteers worldwide encouraged community members to use soap and water to wash their hands, a simple, yet sustainable way to improve hygiene and avoid disease.Below are two examples of handwashing and personal hygiene projects from Peace Corps volunteers:
Mozambique:
![Magnifying glass icon](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/main/magnifying_glass.png)
![Peace Corps volunteer Alicia Portillo is in the process of building a handwashing station with recycled materials at a local primary school in Mozambique.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/news/releases/pr_moz_th.jpg)
Peace Corps volunteer Alicia Portillo of Modesto, Calif., is in the process of building a handwashing station with recycled materials at a local primary school with 1,500 students. Portillo and local children are collecting plastic bottles that will be filled with sand and used in construction as an alternative to cement blocks. She will also be teaching lessons about hygiene and recycling.
Togo:
![Magnifying glass icon](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/main/magnifying_glass.png)
![Peace Corps volunteer Megan Farmer with local community leaders in front of a handwashing station in Togo.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/news/releases/pr_handwashing_th.jpg)
Peace Corps health volunteers help local communities meet basic public health needs through education and awareness. Heath volunteers provide access to safe drinking water, distribute bed nets for malaria prevention, educate communities about HIV/AIDS, teach sanitation measures and more. Even though Peace Corps volunteers are not medical care providers, they provide the skills and training to help keep communities healthy and safe. Today, 22 percent of Peace Corps volunteers work in the health/HIV sector.
![Magnifying glass icon](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/main/magnifying_glass.png)
![A Togolese girls uses a handwashing station.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120915094607im_/http://files.peacecorps.gov/images/news/releases/pr_handwashing1_th.jpg)
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