Maki Mayllana

Happy International Handwashing Day! (October 15th)

I´m not sure who gets to make up international `days´such as this, but a teacher and I celebrated with the local school anyway. We rounded the kids and teachers up on the outdoor basketball court and through a short story, explanation and demonstration, the students learned the importance of washing their hands with water AND soap.

For such a simple act, handwashing is often overlooked. Sir Francis Bacon said ` Knowledge is power´ and I hope that Nancy (6th grade teacher) and I imparted a bit of knowledge to the kids. Whether or not the kids remember that our hands carry microbes that have the potential to give us diarrhea, they like the way their hands smell after they wash them...and that´s enough for me.