(Image source from: Sachin to promote toilets for UNICEF})

Sachin Tendulkar might have retired from cricket, but the legend has earned himself a nice, noble way to keep himself busy and inspire and instill joy and hope into the lives of his millions of his fans worldwide.

Tendulkar has been signed up as UNICEF Regional Ambassador for South Asia.

"I must thank UNICEF for giving me the opportunity to start my second innings in this manner," he said of his role in increasing awareness about hygiene and sanitation in the region.

"I was surprised to know 36 per cent of the people do not have safe and clean toilets. In this day and age, it is difficult to digest that. Similarly, it is shocking that 1600 die every day because of diarrhoeal illness. I want to help UNICEF in making more people aware of such issues and do my bit in bringing some of these astronomical numbers down."

In an impassioned plea for greater focus on health and hygiene, he said, "If a mother defecates in the open and goes home without washing her hands with soap, she is carrying germs when she is cooking or feeding her children with her own hands. Can you imagine the result? No child should lose his or her life due to an adult's negligence."

UNICEF regional director for South Asia, Karin Hulshof, said Tendulkar is a larger than life cricketer and an inspiration for millions of children globally.

Hulshof stressed that though South Asia has grown by leaps and bounds in other areas of life, the region leaves a lot of be desired in terms of sanitation and hygiene. They hope that Tendulkar's association with the cause might help them raise effective awareness on the same.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury