World Record Hand Washing

Posted on 2 November 2009 by Stenberg-Tendys W.L. in Health

Endenglen primary school and Eastleigh primary school in Johannesburg set a new Guinness World Record on October 15^th, breaking the world record of the ‘Most People Washing Their Hands’, with 1,802 successful participants.

The previous record was set in October 2008 in Bangladesh, with 1,213 participants. The hand washing had to take place at exactly the same moment.

The event was arranged in order to promote daily hand hygiene, which Protex (the organizer of the challenge) believes is commonly overlooked. The makers of Protex firmly believe millions of lives could be saved if only this simple task was given its rightful place, in a daily routine.

The children lined up around their allocated tables ready for the record attempt to start, but first they had to get their hands dirty before they could wash them. Every table had different coloured paint in tubs, so the students could dip their hands in and then place them onto a blank canvas in the middle of the table. Once all the children had finished making their hand prints, the teachers and stewards removed all the canvases and took them onto the playing field. The then arranged all the childrens’ hand prints into a large African flag. Then it was time for the students to wash their hands and try to break the world record.

Protex soap was used under the nails, over the hands and up the wrists, then rinsed off, before the hands were dried. All this had to take place in just 20 seconds.

On November 19^th, 820 high school children in the tropical island of Vanuatu, will attempt “The Number of People To Write a Story in 24 Hours’, in an effort to highlight the desperate need for funds to put and keep students in high school. In Vanuatu there is no compulsory, nor free education.

The story will reveal the scenic highlights of one of the South Pacific’s most unique holiday destination.

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