Photo via PNGFA Just Play
Oceania Football Confederation and Member Associations are celebrating Global Handwashing Day through Just Play festivals and social media awareness campaigns.
World Hand Washing Day on October 15 is an important date in Oceania. Sanitation is vital in our communities to prevent the spread of disease and to save lives.
For children under five, water and sanitation-related diseases are one of the leading causes of death across the Pacific. One-third of children in the Pacific don’t have access to good sanitation and one in ten don’t have access to safe drinking water.
OFC and our Member Associations are taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for All by 2030. The Just Play team is delivering festivals in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Tahiti.
Just Play has reached over 300,000 children in the Pacific with positive social messages, including health and handwashing. Since introducing the delivery of the Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene curriculum in 2019, the Sport for Development programme has seen a positive impact.
After participating in the Health and WASH curriculum there has been a 78% increase in children regularly washing their hands with soap after using the toilet.
OFC’s commitment to ensuring education around the importance of good hygiene is integrated throughout football and healthy behaviours are encouraged at all levels of participation.
Following the Social Responsibility strategy, OFC aims for 100% of football facilities in Oceania to have adequate drinking water and sanitation facilities by 2030.
Be a part of a stronger, healthier Oceania, be a WASH Champion and help spread the message. Know the 8 steps of handwashing, know when to wash your hands and Just Play for health.
Just Play Programme was developed with the support of UNICEF. Its delivery is made possible due to long-standing partnerships with Australian Aid through the Team Up Programme, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the UEFA Foundation for Children.