Peru's Handwashing Initiative
2016
This case study describes a handwashing initiative (HWI) that began in Peru in 2003, in response to the finding that approximately 15 percent of children under the age of five had experienced diarrhea in the previous two weeks (from the time they were surveyed) and that handwashing rates were extremely low. HWI was a partnership between organizations to spread public education and media messaging to encourage Peruvians to wash their hands. An evaluation of the program found that the gains to child health were not significant enough to continue the program. This example of a program that is considered to have failed is important for students of global health to encounter alongside examples of success.
This case study is part of Millions Saved: New Cases of Proven Success in Global Health, a collection of case studies produced by the Center for Global Development that describes successful examples of large-scale efforts to improve health in low- and middle-income countries, as well as promising interventions that fell short of their health targets when scaled-up in real world conditions. The cases featured on the website are shortened versions of the respective book chapters in the print edition.
Source:
Glassman A, Temin M. Peru's Handwashing Initiative. Millions Saved: New Cases of Proven Success in Global Health. Center for Global Development 2016. http://millionssaved.cgdev.org/case-studies/perus-handwashing-initiative.