Good hygiene practice, and handwashing in particular, is one of the most effective ways for people – whether at home, at work, in school or healthcare – to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from infection.
But 2.3 billion people lack clean water and soap*, and almost half of all healthcare centres lack handwashing facilities, meaning lives are being put at risk every day because people don't have access to the very basics.
Poor hygiene means children get sick and miss school, adults can't work to support their families and patients are at risk in health centres. Whole communities miss out on opportunities to improve their lives.
In fact, many get no chance at life at all. Every minute a newborn baby dies from infection caused by a lack of clean water and an unclean environment**.
What do we mean when we talk about hygiene?
Hygiene can be hard to define as it covers so many behaviours, from personal hygiene like handwashing, food hygiene and menstrual hygiene, to the clean use of toilets and the safe use of water. Some groups of people are also more affected by poor hygiene – especially people with disabilities, young girls, women and babies.
Why do we talk to people about hygiene?
If you've never had a tap or running water before, getting into the habit of washing might not be as easy as it sounds. So we work with communities like Rahim's in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to promote good hygiene behaviour, so people stay safe from illness.
Dive deeper into our work on hygieneWe know through experience that there's no one-size-fits-all approach, and simply explaining the importance of good hygiene isn't enough to make lasting change happen. That's why we listen to people to understand what really drives them to take up new hygiene habits.
The ripple effect of three important things
When a community gets clean water and decent toilets for the first time they also have the power to change their hygiene habits. They can keep themselves and their environment clean, stay healthy and stop diseases spreading, and live dignified lives.
Nampoina, 13, pictured below, is from a remote village in Madagascar. Before her village got clean water, there was nothing for Nampoina to drink at school, and after her two-hour commute on foot, she'd spend her spare time after school fetching water for her family, leaving her exhausted.
More time to study, play and chat with friends
Thankfully, as well as getting clean water in her village and new toilets at school, Nampoina has learnt about good hygiene practices from her teachers and she and her friends talk openly about managing their periods.
Donate to help us reach more people with good hygieneHow we promote good hygiene
Periods
Periods
We encourage women and girls to talk openly about managing their periods, with boys and men, too. And we provide practical essentials so they can keep clean and healthy.
Handwashing
Handwashing
Whether it's after going to the toilet, before eating or when you're preparing a meal, washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of disease.
Healthcare
Healthcare
Strong health systems are vital for communities to protect themselves against infection. We're asking the UK government to champion clean water in every health centre.
*WHO/UNICEF (2021)
**WaterAid calculations
Top image: Addisae, 14, standing by a tap stand built by WaterAid in her community in West Gojjam, Ethiopia, May 2019.