KATHMANDU: As part of its corporate social initiative, Unilever through its brand Lifebuoy co-founded Global Handwashing Day in 2008 with the Public Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap.

Each year, Global Handwashing Day is celebrated by over 200 million people in over 100 countries on October 15. The day aims to put the global spotlight on handwashing with soap as a lifesaving habit and the day to advocate and drive forward Lifebuoy’s social campaign ‘Help a child reach 5’ through various supporting campaigns.

Since over 40 per cent of under-five deaths occur within the first 28 days of a child’s life, the neonatal period and the handwashing intervention in this critical period can help reduce the infant mortality significantly.

Keeping this in view, Lifebuoy will launch the global programme Adopt a Clinic under Neonatal Mothers’ Programme in Nepal in 2015, as per a press statement issued on Wednesday.