Global Handwashing Day 2025: Dhanamaya’s Story

Today, 15 October 2025, is Global Handwashing Day, and its goal is to raise awareness about the importance of washing hands with soap to prevent diseases.

Nepal has made progress in hand hygiene, with 62% of the population having access to basic hand hygiene services by 2020. However, only 12% of Nepalis wash their hands with soap at critical times, according to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2022, revealing a gap between knowledge and practice.

This poor hygiene practice is linked to limited availability of soap and water and insufficient infrastructure to manage solid waste. Addressing these challenges requires improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, promoting community-based interventions, and implementing effective public health education and policies.

The Power of Soap and Water: Dhanamaya’s Journey to a Healthier Home

“Clean hands build healthy homes; healthy homes build a healthy community”

Dhanamaya Gharti Magar, a 39-year-old mother from Dara Nayabasti, of Gandaki Province, lives with her two daughters and her six-year-old twin sons. For the past two years, her husband, Khadga Prasad Gharti, has been working in Malaysia, leaving Dhanamaya as the sole caregiver and head of the household.

Life has been far from easy for Dhanmaya. She manages small-scale farming, raising goats and poultry, but with young children to care for, balancing household and farm work has been a constant struggle. Water and sanitation remain a pressing challenge. The family relies on stream water, which needs to be collected and stored in a bucket. The household toilet is unsafe and unhygienic. One of her twin sons, Shirish, suffered from malnutrition at an early age, something Dhanamaya did not initially recognise. With support from the local health post and regular treatment, he recovered, but the experience highlighted how crucial health awareness is for families like hers.

In the past, her children frequently fell ill with preventable diseases. Handwashing with soap was not practised, simply due to a lack of awareness. This has changed with the intervention of the Gurkha Welfare Trust. The drinking water and sanitation programme included training sessions on hygiene, household sanitation, and community responsibility. Dhanamaya attended the training and became actively involved in the water user and sanitation committee.  This helped her understand how communities must take collective ownership of hygiene practices. She reflects, “I had very little knowledge about sanitation before. Because of that, my children used to be sick all the time. Now I understand how important handwashing and clean water are. With the support coming to our village, I am confident we will be able to live more healthily with the implementation of water construction projects from Gurkha Welfare Trust.”

Today, she ensures her family washes their hands with soap and clean water regularly, and she has already noticed a significant improvement in her children’s health. She shared, “Keeping our hands clean and our surroundings hygienic doesn’t just protect my children, it protects all of us. Healthy habits can make our whole community stronger.”

Looking ahead, Dhanamaya is determined to construct a proper toilet and, with the upcoming piped water supply, hopes to create a safer, healthier, and more dignified life for her family.

She further quoted, “Our minds are now well equipped through social preparation activities like training and sanitation orientations. We will be even stronger once our household tap is installed and we can use water adequately for hygiene purposes. I have already told my children to wash their hands regularly at critical times, and I can see them following it more, as health starts in the home.”

Dhanamaya’s story reflects the true spirit of Global Handwashing Day, reminding us that simple habits like washing hands with soap can transform lives.. The community expressed heartfelt gratitude to The Gurkha Welfare Trust for the upcoming water project which will pipe clean water to Dara Nayabasti. They shared that the project is a true blessing and will help to build a healthier and more resilient community.