It starts with the little ones
Marcell Engel founds the “Initiative for Early Childhood Health Promotion and Hygiene”
Frankfurt, July 28, 2020.
He has been cleaning crime scenes and disinfecting viruses and germs of all kinds for over 25 years. We are talking about Marcell Engel, managing director of the Frankfurt company Akut SOS Clean GmbH and father of four. Both require a high level of responsibility. The hygiene and health of the little ones are particularly important to the Frankfurt native, so he developed a video called “Vincent the Raccoon” as part of his newly founded “Initiative for Early Childhood Health Promotion and Hygiene”. Three to six-year-olds learn how to wash their hands correctly in a playful and informative way. Marcell Engel explains the background and goals.
How did you come up with the idea?
"I often experience touching situations during missions. However, there was one that really affected me and has stuck with me. After disinfecting Novo viruses in a kindergarten, I found out that a previously infected child had not survived. Much later, I realized how profoundly this affected me. I woke up at night bathed in sweat and thought about what I could do to curb such infections in children between the ages of three and six. That's when I came up with the idea of developing a video that could be shown to children Shows how to wash your hands in an easy-to-understand way. And who can do that better than a lovable and funny cartoon character.”
What exactly does Vincent do?
"The little expert Vincent shows in a child-friendly way how to wash your hands thoroughly and why it is so important. He explains in a playful way how germs and viruses make you sick. Namely by touching a lot of things that have germs and viruses on them while playing and running around. If the child then puts a finger in their mouth or touches their face, these spread and the child becomes sick. Once a boy or girl gets sick, he or she will catch others by touching and kissing or simply by "wet pronunciation." on. All of this is explained in the video. And to make it fun to watch and thoroughly wash your hands, Vincent sings a happy song that invites you to sing along.”
Who is the video intended for?
"We make the video and accompanying materials - such as funny Vincent stickers for the sink - available to kindergartens, educators, parents and clubs. In short: to all people and institutions who have children of that age, and of course to everyone who is interested in it. The offer is of course free of charge."
The initiative has just started. Do you already have feedback?
"Yes, we have already received the first feedback, which is consistently positive. I am particularly pleased about this because the project is close to my heart. It also encourages me to continue. There are many topics that affect children of all ages and also young people related to health. We are currently creating further concepts to build on our opening video and to develop an exciting and playful and educational series."