THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL WELFARE, WOMEN AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION
DR. JIKO F. LUVENI
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OPENING ADDRESS AT THE GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY CELEBRATION AT THE VASHIST MUNI PRIMARY SCHOOL, NAVUA

Saturday 12th October, 2013
Navua - 11.45 Hours
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The Head Teacher and staff of the Vashist Muni Primary School,
Students of the Vashist Muni Primary School,
Parents, and Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentleman.

A very good morning to you all on this lovely day for this special occasion. I am deeply honored to be present here this morning, for the official Launch of the “GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY’ which is celebrated on October 15th annually.

Ladies and Gentleman the Global Hand washing Day was originally created for children in school but can be celebrated by anyone.

Many of us tend to overlook how important this procedure is on a daily basis, yet it holds the very basis of child mortality issues.
This morning, I wish to salute the Vashist Muni Community for embracing such a vital and component of our health and wellbeing irrespective of age, gender and geographical location.

The new Constitution has for the first time in the history of our beloved nation, provided for a wide range of socio-economic rights. These rights include rights to education, access to health care, housing and sanitation, reasonable access to transportation, food security and safe water, and social security schemes.

It is also the first Fiji Constitution to articulate specific rights to persons with disabilities and to all children. It provides for greater civil and political rights to youths through reduction of the voting age from 21 to 18 years ensuring their say in the political life of the nation. I hope that this excitement will transcend into the celebration forum this morning.

Ladies and Gentleman, handwashing with soap is the most effective and cheapest means of preventing diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year.. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote.

Encouraging handwashing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter. A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.

Global Handwashing Day focuses on our children because not only do they suffer from diarrheal and respiratory diseases and deaths, but research shows that children – the segment of society so often the most energetic, enthusiastic, and open to new ideas – can also be powerful agents for changing behaviors like handwashing with soap in their communities.

Ladies and Gentleman let me assure you all that Government is committed to improving health service delivery nationally and these are evident in the services and program reforms that are currently driven under the Ministry of Health. The government cares for children and will uphold at all times that children are nurtured in a conducive environment that fulfills learning, work and play.

However, it is a role that rightly needs a collaborative effort to address prevention measures. The inculcation of the habit of handwashing needs to be championed consistently with supervised measures for our young children for their wellbeing is very much part of our daily business and responsibility.

Parents need to bring up their children in such health habits by them being the models of such. I trust that parents here today will treasure the advise and live it in their own homes. It can be done and it is all for better living and for wellness.

We can prevent many diseases of today by such a simple measure of handwashing. It is a healthy behavior that guards us against many food borne diseases of today.

On that closing note, I now have much pleasure to declare the “Global Handwashing Day” here at Vashist Muni Primary School officially open.

Thank You