New Delhi, Oct 13 : Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and his teammates will participate in the first-ever global Hand washing Day on October 15 to highlight the importance of hand washing with soap to keep children safe and healthy.

The Indian campaign is part of a global movement uniting millions of children in more than 70 countries across five continents as part of the International Year of Sanitation 2008.

Nearly half of the world’s population, or 2.6 billion people, do not have access to adequate sanitation.

Sachin is uniting with the Government of India and UNICEF to promote hand washing with soap through a mass media campaign.

He and other members of the Indian Cricket team will wash hands with soap with a group of kids to highlight the importance of hand washing to keep children healthy and protect them against deadly disease.

Hand washing with soap, particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40 per cent and respiratory infections by 30 per cent.

Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are the number one cause for child deaths in India. Hand washing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia and could save more lives than a single vaccine or medical intervention. (ANI)