Every year on 16th October, people the world over celebrate Global Handwashing Day – an opportunity to design, test, and replicate creative ways to encourage people to wash their hands with soap at critical times.

This year’s Global Handwashing Day activities were launched at Kanyama First Level Hospital spearheaded by Trade Kings and its Romeo HygieniX Hygiene Soap brand in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and the Zambia Medical Association.

For many people in Kanyama and several parts of Lusaka, the 2017/2018 rainy season was a major wakeup call as it was characterized by a widespread cholera epidemic. What became apparent during the outbreak was that in a water-scarce environment, personal hygiene is easily neglected and disease-causing germs can spread all too quickly – particularly in densely populated areas such as Kanyama.

The fact is that handwashing and bathing with anti-bacterial soap and clean water at key occasions is the best way for people to protect themselves from germs and bacteria that can cause diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. This is why Trade Kings felt it pertinent to bring hygiene education to this community.

Trade Kings has grown into the leading Zambian FMCG providing locally manufactured, quality and affordable products. The business has for over 20 years contributed to growing and promoting local wealth and employment through investing back into the business and into the community through the Trade Kings Foundation. Through the Foundation the focus areas include health, education, youth and women empowerment. The Group has invested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the value of over K3 million in major projects that include the response during the cholera crisis, renovation of the UTH Mother’s Shelter and construction of a workshop for the manufacture of mobility aids for children with clubfoot at the Beit Cure Hospital as well as many other projects across the country.

Trade Kings recognizes the role that the people of Zambia have played in creating a Zambian company that is for the Zambian people.

Being a local business, Trade Kings contributes to creating local connections and relationships. A clear demonstration of this is the partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Zambia Medical Association. During this year’s Global Hand Washing Day the Ministry of Health and Zambia Medical Association jointly recognized and expressed gratitude for the role that Trade Kings Group has played in the vision to keep every Zambian healthy through preventive measures that include introducing its Romeo HygieniX Brands to communities throughout Zambia.

Romeo HygieniX Hygiene Soap is an anti-bacterial soap that contains Active Silver Technology – a powerful ingredient proven to effectively protect the body against 99.99% of germs, while also protecting against infections and diseases. The special ingredient is proven to remove all kinds of germs ensuring that its users are clean and protected against all germs. Romeo HygieniX Soap is one of the Trade Kings’ latest offerings among its multiplicity of products.

The HygieniX brand has become extremely popular for its variety of refreshing variances, but more especially for its efficacy in protection of the skin against germs and bacteria. Romeo HygieniX has become a leading, locally produced quality anti-bacterial soap that has quickly gained ground in Zambian households.

Speaking during this year’s Global Handwashing Day celebrations, Trade Kings Group Public Relations and Corporate Affairs Manager, Bridget Kambobe pointed out that “it is befitting for a wholly Zambian company like Trade Kings to spearhead the commemoration this year’s handwashing activities in partnership with the Zambia Medical Association and the Ministry of Health. Additionally, Global Handwashing Day is also an appropriate platform to launch the Romeo HygieniX Hygiene Education campaign”.

The Global Handwashing Day event brought together Government officials and civil society organizations to showcase the role of handwashing in combating the spread of illness causing germs and bacteria. The Ministry of Health through Kanyama Public Health Specialist Dr. Chimutete congratulated the partnership between Trade Kings and Zambia Medical Association in rolling out this HygieniX Hygiene Education for the Kanyama Community to prevent the recurrence of the cholera crisis as was the case at the beginning of this year.

In keeping with the purpose of the HygieniX Hygiene Education Campaign which is to educate the communities on hygiene, a series of activations in Kanyama will focus on activities that will include handwashing stations at schools, churches and market places. These HygieniX handwashing stations will be placed where people can have access to the Romeo HygieniX Soap range and learn the correct method and occasions for handwashing. During these sessions, Trade Kings will freely distribute Romeo HygieniX Hygiene Soap, Romeo HygieniX Liquid Soap, Romeo HygieniX Instant Hand Sanitizer and the latest addition to Trade Kings’ many products – PurePlus Water Purification Solution to make water in these communities more potable.

Trade Kings stance in this year’s Global Handwashing Day activities reaffirms the company’s commitment to the health of Zambians as the conglomerate continues its contribution towards the sustained fight against cholera. This comes in the wake of Trade Kings’ massive contribution at the start of the year that saw the wholly Zambian company contribute millions in preventive and corrective measures in the fight against cholera.