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UK assist and Unilever launches a worldwide handwashing marketing campaign

UK Aid and Unilever launch a global hand washing campaign

Unilever, a partner in the UK government, is funding a global program to combat the spread of the corona virus

The British aid and Unilever The global program will reach up to a billion people worldwide, raise awareness and change behavior to ensure that people wash their hands regularly with soap and disinfect surfaces.

It is supported by both up to £ 50m in funding each Department for international development and Unilever. The program will also provide over 20 million hygiene products in developing countries, including areas with little or no sanitation.

This support is vital to stop the spread of the disease in developing countries and will also limit its further potential spread in the UK. Combating disease in developing countries will also reduce the potential future impact on the global economy and travel.

Over half a billion pounds of aid from the UK government has already been used to slow the spread of the virus in developing countries. This includes support for research into vaccines and tests as well as humanitarian support for developing countries.

International Development Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Health experts have said that washing your hands regularly and avoiding other people is the most effective way to prevent the spread of this virus and to save lives.

“Many people in the poorest countries have no access to basic hand washing products such as soap, or are unaware of the urgent need to change their behavior. The UK government's partnership with Unilever will make a real difference and help protect both developing countries and the UK from further infections. "

The mass awareness campaign will run on TV, radio and print, social and digital media to change the behavior of people in countries in Africa and Asia such as Kenya, Ghana and Bangladesh. The news is tailored to the communities in these countries to ensure that they are effective.

The initiative is led by the company's hygiene brands Domestos Bleach and Lifebuoy Soap that has been driving large-scale hygiene change programs for decades. The announcement builds on a number of measures Unilever has announced in the past few days to combat the global outbreak of the corona virus. The company has over 6,000 employees in the UK.

Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, said: “Lifebuoy and Domestos have been proven to have successfully implemented hygiene awareness and awareness programs, and we hope that the work we can do with UK aid will help save lives that would otherwise be possible would be affected by corona virus.

"As the world's largest soap company, we have a responsibility to help make soap and hygiene products more readily available and to use our expertise to teach people to wash their hands effectively, regardless of the brand they use."

The initiative will support British and international NGOs and other partners to implement programs to combat the spread of coronaviruses by improving access to hygiene products. a mass campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of hand washing; and a program to change hygiene behavior.

It will also use the expertise of leading scientists, including from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Analyze and ensure that the program is targeted where it has the greatest impact.

DFID and Unilever will work closely with partners to curb the spread of corona viruses in vulnerable countries with poor health systems and save lives.