Sachin joins hand with UNICEF to create a healthy society

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has joined forces with UNICEF to get Indian children to wash their hands for better health and hygiene as part of the first ever Global Handwashing Day on October 15.

Tendulkar is featured in a public service announcement that will broadcast this month in 14 languages on television channels across the country to drum up support for the campaign targeting students in more than six million schools across India.

''Having two young children, I constantly have to remind them to wash their hands before and after meals,'' Tendulkar said in a statement released by the UNICEF today.

''I wanted to be a part of this campaign, because washing hands with soap can keep children safe and healthy and protect them against deadly disease,'' he added.

The Indian campaign is part of a global movement uniting millions of children in 52 countries across five continents as part of the International Year of Sanitation 2008.

UNICEF India has a longstanding relationship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), dating back to 1986 when players came out to support and promote polio prevention.

UNI RKM MP PM1433