Dubai Dubai has long been called a melting pot of different cultures. Now its diverse mix of people are set to bring it Guinness fame.
On October 10, about 200 people of more than 50 nationalities will descend on the Asateer Tent at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah where they will do the unprecedented: wash their hands together in a bid to enable Dubai to break a Guinness World Record in gathering people of a minimum of 50 nationalities to wash their hands simultaneously.
The event, called Hands for Hygiene, is being organised by Unilever’s Lifebuoy soap and the Dubai Municipality to mark the fifth anniversary of Global Handwashing Day, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of handwashing in saving lives.
A spokesperson for the event said: “We will have 17 sinks and each sink will have 12 faucets. The event will run for two hours from noon to 2pm.”
While registration of participants will take an hour, the second hour will cover speeches, the actual handwashing and the award ceremony.
As part of the initiative, Lifebouy will also reach out to some 500,000 students aged between five and 12 across 600 schools in the Gulf to create awareness about handwashing. Handwashing with soap is considered the most effective way to prevent diarrhoea and respiratory infections. As a regular habit before eating and after using the toilet, it is said to save more lives than any vaccine or medical intervention.
Over the past two years, Lifebuoy has changed the handwashing behaviour of 48 million people, moving towards its goal to reach one billion people by 2015. For details about the October 10 event, visit http://www.handsforhygiene.com/en
Box: Dubai Water Bash Day
Dubai residents are bracing for a ‘Water Balloon Bash’ at Zabeel Park on October 27. The event is being organised by Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, a Department of Economic Development agency, along with the Paris Group, to mark Eid Al Adha in Dubai. Over 10,000 residents are expected to participate. They will have to pick a side — yellow or blue — and bash the other side with water-filled balloons. For registration log on to www.facebook.com/dxbevents.
