For much of the last two years, the critical importance of handwashing has been made crystal clear to citizens all around the world.
For much of the last two years, the critical importance of handwashing has been made crystal clear to citizens all around the world. Just weeks after the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world on its head, the World Health Organization was urging people to “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands.”
We were taught that just 20 seconds with water and soap makes all the difference in stopping the spread of numerous pathogens – not just Covid-19. This simple act has been saving lives since before the pandemic, and it is still considered one of the most effective defences against illness.
Yet, despite the initial success of handwashing campaigns, pandemic fatigue has brought about a decline in compliance. A study from Johns Hopkins University showed declining rates of handwashing in 22 of 23 countries tracked between July 2020 and March 2021. With Covid-19 now endemic in most countries, and regular warnings about new threats from other pathogens, reinforcing the importance of handwashing has become more critical than ever. The business of hygiene is an important one for companies, especially those which operate in emerging markets. Lifebuoy is one example of those brands that have business models rooted in doing good for communities that also drive performance.
Better Health Through Hygiene
Since 1894, Lifebuoy has aimed to be more than ‘just’ a manufacturer of high quality, affordable soap. The company has continuously engaged in concrete action to champion better health through hygiene. It has done this across the spectrum: from grassroots initiatives to macro-level, multi-organization, international and intergovernmental partnerships.
A key message concerns the importance of keeping people healthier before a problem is diagnosed. Or even preventing the problem in the first place. This keeps healthcare costs down in the longer term and keeps productivity high.
In fact, handwashing has been found to be one of the most cost-effective public health investments. Research has shown that each year a lack of handwashing costs India an estimated US$23 billion and China US$12 billion: a considerable impact on two of the world’s biggest economies.
Conversely, a national handwashing behaviour-change programme would bring net returns of some US$5.6 billion in India, representing an extraordinary 92-fold return on the investment; and a 35-fold return (US$2.64 billion) for China . With the world economy still recovering from the productivity drop and healthcare costs of Covid-19, these numbers are hard to argue with.
Lifebuoy, as the fourth most-consumed brand in the world and with a consumer base in developing countries, is well placed to use this position to save lives. In 2010, the company set an “audacious target” to educate 1 billion people about handwashing within a decade.
H Is For Handwashing
One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) aims for every member of humanity to have access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation, and to basic hand hygiene facilities by 2030. The fact that in 2022, it is still the case that one child dies every 23 seconds from pneumonia or diarrhoea , demonstrates how important handwashing is in achieving that SDG. This led Lifebuoy to create H for Handwashing.
For generations, children have been taught letters of the alphabet through simple associations such as ‘A’ is for apple, ‘B’ for ball and ‘C’ for cat. To make handwashing a part of their everyday lives, Lifebuoy’s award-winning H for Handwashing campaign aims to transform the letter into a symbol for handwashing: so that H not only stands for hat, horse, or hippo, but that it becomes synonymous with washing your hands.
“H for Handwashing’ was built on the premise that effective behaviour change must start at an early age,” says Khim Yin Poh, Global Lead for Lifebouy. “We took inspiration from UNICEF’s early childhood development research which demonstrates that the right support and interventions in the early years of life can significantly boost child development, helping them to grow, learn and thrive.”
Democratizing Health Through Technology
Education is a fantastic way of futureproofing health. But how can we also democratize it and ensure access for all? One solution is technology, specifically telehealth, which facilitates a connection to those in underserved communities or those that are hard to reach.
Khim Yin Poh comments: “For years we are known for creating products which protect and today, there is a greater need to evolve our purpose and work by creating a handwash to holistic healthcare. We must go beyond providing hygiene products for our consumers and help care for the whole person. One way of doing this is partnering with telehealth services.”
In some parts of Asia getting access to a doctor is a huge challenge. In Vietnam, for example, there are only eight doctors for every 10,000 patients; in Indonesia, this figure drops to just three doctors per 10,000.
Across India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Lifebuoy has worked with telehealth service providers to give the opportunity of free digital healthcare to millions – especially in areas where physical healthcare centres are scarce. Those in need of attention can call a number or scan a QR code found on Lifebuoy product packaging and commercials. In Vietnam, this has meant around 10 million people being reached by the ‘Doctor Anywhere’ scheme, and in Bangladesh, more than 10,000 people have had full consultations with doctors when they most needed it.
From grassroots work to telehealth: post-pandemic the brand is moving towards providing holistic health for its audience and seeing the value in promoting better health.
Hygiene Anywhere, For Anyone
The pandemic caused inflection points across the world, and in all sectors. It has also created fertile ground for long-term, sustainable change in all those sectors – not least in health, where there is already clear evidence that nudges towards behavioural modifications can result in huge improvements to health and hygiene habits.
It is critical that appropriate and high levels of hygiene are made available to anyone, anywhere, whenever they need it. There has never been a better time to meet this challenge, whether through amplifying partnerships or campaigns to get more people to support the mission. Lifebuoy has been a pioneer in this space for almost 130 years and remains committed to raising the bar in health and hygiene around the world for the next 130 years.
Lifebuoy would like to hear from healthcare providers who are interested in partnering. Get in touch: www.lifebuoy.com