Lifebuoy Attempts to Break a Guinness World Records Title In Celebration of Global Hand washing Day

Unilever’s health soap brand, Lifebuoy, in association with Dubai Health Authority, today attempted to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the most high-fives given by a mascot in 3 minutes, as part of its Help A Child Reach 5 campaign. Over 300 guests participated in the record-breaking High 5 for handwashing event in support of Global Handwashing Day – now in its 9th year – to raise awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap in reducing child mortality.

Supporters including schoolchildren, mothers, caregivers and Unilever employees, gathered today at The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, which contributed with the highest number of student participants, where they achieved 323 high-fives in 3 minutes. For each participant in High 5 for handwashing today, Lifebuoy will teach five children the lifesaving habit of handwashing with soap, by investing additional resources into existing hygiene behaviour change programmes currently supported by the brand.

“The tremendous outpouring of support for High 5 for Handwashing and Global Handwashing Day highlights the importance of hygiene education in our country,” said Mr. Ghanim Abdullah Lootah, Director-Department of Institutional Marketing & Communication. “This GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt represents our collective hopes for a future whereby children are protected from preventable diseases; so help us spread the word so that more children will be able to celebrate their fifth birthday,” he added.  

“Lifebuoy sees the urgent and important need of hygiene education to reduce needless child deaths due to diarrhoea and pneumonia, two of the leading killers of children,” said Ms. Sabeen Fazli, Marketing Director, Personal Care Gulf. “High 5 for handwashing is a symbolic gesture that transcends cultural, geographical and language barriers, galvanising local communities to adopt the lifesaving habit of handwashing with soap”, she added

Every year, preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia claim the lives of over 1.4 million children across the globe before they reach the age of five[i],[ii]. Such deaths can be significantly reduced if children, mothers and caregivers alike are taught to embrace the simple, yet often neglected act of handwashing with soap. High 5 for handwashing unites supporters of child health to champion the adoption of good hygiene habits like handwashing with soap to help more children reach their fifth birthday. Like the simple act of handwashing with soap, the simple act of a high 5 serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of good hygiene in saving lives.

Global Handwashing Day shines the spotlight on the state of handwashing around the world, with the aim to foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap. Lifebuoy is spearheading this year’s efforts with its High 5 for handwashing initiative to raise awareness and instil the habit of handwashing with soap.

High 5 for handwashing is part of Lifebuoy’s Help A Child Reach 5 campaign, which aims to assist countries realise specific targets within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG3 and SDG6 to reduce child mortality and ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The campaign advocates for greater use of simple and cost effective hygiene interventions like handwashing with soap.

Lifebuoy runs one of the world’s largest hygiene behaviour change programmes, reaching over 337 million people across 28 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America since 2010. Lifebuoy is aiming to change the handwashing behaviour of one billion people by 2020, as part of its commitment to decreasing child mortality and to the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

Unilever through its Lifebuoy brand co-founded Global Handwashing Day in 2008 with the Public Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPPHW).