The world has been inundated with mass media messages about handwashing. Advice that has fallen on deaf ears. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA, a study showed dramatic increases in handwashing rates as the pandemic hit, but was also followed by dramatic and consistent decreases over time.

In order to make a fundamental change to handwashing behaviour, we decided to directly target two audiences:

1. Preschoolers. To incept right hand-washing behaviours using the existing framework of early learning and education.

2. Policy Makers. To get them to commit to making a change in the school curriculum.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of handwashing with soap was thrust into the global spotlight. Yet, several studies showed that though handwashing rates picked up initially, they also started to decline in the middle of the pandemic. Not surprising as this has been an ongoing struggle for over 100 years across various pandemics.

With the world emerging from lockdown, embedding good handwashing habits has never been more critical. Even the WHO has appealed to all governments, community and faith leaders, private sector partners to take the lead in promoting hand hygiene; or we risk a deadly, continuous cycle of COVID-19 and the genesis of further pandemics.

Lifebuoy, the brand that runs the world’s largest behaviour change programmes on handwashing, sought to future-proof the world against pandemics by encouraging the world to adopt the correct handwashing habits. For life.

We developed one of the simplest, most scalable and most effortless to execute ideas: ‘H for Handwashing’. It focuses on how, for generations, children have been taught letters of the alphabet through simple associations with everyday references such as ‘A’ for Apple, ‘B’ for Ball and ‘C’ for Cat. Lessons they never forget. Ever. The idea is simply this: Lifebuoy wants to fundamentally change how the letter ‘H’ is taught. No longer will ‘H’ stand for Horse, Hat or even Home. ‘H’ must stand for Handwashing. A simple intervention that introduces the concept of handwashing to children at the right age, making it a widespread and common habit that is learnt early but lasts a lifetime.

In order to future-proof humanity against pandemics, we identified a precise primary target audience: Pre-school and primary school kids. To reach them, we needed to engage a secondary target audience: Schools, Ministries of Education and NGOs. They were the most important partners and the true ‘influencers’ for our task.

The insight: The first lessons of life are the ones that are hardcoded in us. UNICEF’s early childhood development research demonstrates that supporting the right interventions in the early years of life significantly bolsters development. Early learning and language skills go hand in hand in establishing patterns and memory.

Our strategic approach, then, was to hardcode handwashing in one of the first lessons we all learn. A simple intervention that would introduce the concept of handwashing to children at the right age, making it a widespread and a common habit that is learnt early but can last a lifetime.

On Global Handwashing Day (October 15, 2020), Lifebuoy launched a €30 million 'H for Handwashing' initiative across 30 countries.

In partnership with leading kid’s content creators, Lifebuoy created educational material like books, posters, activity playbooks and even new ABC songs in multiple languages.

We partnered with 25+ top NGOs globally such as UNICEF, Save the Children, Sesame Workshop, Oxfam, Water Aid, AMREF Africa etc. And secured partnerships with government bodies like The Department of Basic Education, South Africa, the Ministry of Education Sri Lanka, the Delhi Government, India and the Governments of Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

The campaign was amplified in different parts of the world using TV, Print and Digital. Celebrities and key opinion leaders promoted an engaging ‘H for Handwashing’ Instagram filter Onground events and assets like educational resources website (in South Africa) further bolstered participation.

At the inception stage, the biggest victory of the campaign was for governments to actually change the 100-plus-year-old curriculum.

The Department of Basic Education, South Africa, Unicef and Unilever signed a ‘Joint Declaration of Intent’ to forever change the way the letter H is taught.

The teaching material reached over 10,000 schools in Africa; 400 schools and 10,000 Anganwadi centres in India, reaching out to almost 7.2 million learners in Africa and India. In addition, 10,000 schools in Sri Lanka conducted a national art competition on the 'H for Handwashing' theme.

In 24 hours, Lifebuoy achieved 20 million organic impressions for 'H for Handwashing'.

It won the support of more than a hundred celebrities and key opinion leaders including F1 team McLaren and IPL players.

The campaign reached over 124 million people and earned an estimated PR value of €2.1 million.