In its continuing commitment to ensure clean and safe quality of life for Filipino school children, Unilever’s toilet hygiene expert Domex announced a significant partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the goal of providing access to usable, clean and safe toilets to 7 million Filipino school children by 2021.
In its official launch at the Lakandula High School, graced by school division heads, staff, students along with their parents, the partnering institutions formed part of the Domex #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign, aimed at rallying the nation to help win the war on poor sanitation in schools. This is in congruence to DepEd’s many efforts to improve school sanitation conditions through their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program (DepEd WinS).
Schools are a high priority for Domex. The lack of access to usable, clean and safe toilets seriously impacts the health, comfort, and learning ability of students. As such, 84% of school teachers and school nurses say toilet-related health issues greatly increase the number of sick days students take, which could also impact their learning.
“Domex believes a clean and safe school toilet is a right, not a privilege,” said Vanessa Ong, Marketing Director for Unilever Home Care. “Currently, 1 in 2 schools in the Philippines still do not follow national guidelines on sanitation. Through this landmark partnership, we join forces to achieve clean, safe, usable toilets for every Filipino child.”
Domex together with DepEd and GIZ reinforced their commitment to the DepEd WinS program. This program provides practical guidance on what schools must do to achieve usable, clean, and safe toilets. Domex will continue to contribute by providing the right support and training for janitors, school staff, and students to encourage schools to adopt healthy school hygiene practices.
Domex also launched the inaugural Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards, an initiative to accelerate progress toward reaching national sanitation standards. Schools and division offices are encouraged and rewarded for adopting the DepEd WinS program, making stepwise improvements in school sanitation. The award aims to promote good hygiene and sanitation habits by reinforcing the importance of maintaining usable, clean and safe toilets in schools across the Philippines.
“Through the Eskwelang Unstoppable Award we hope to recognize and reward schools that have greatly improved toilet sanitation conditions for their students and staff,” continued Ong. “We believe that keeping toilets clean and safe is a shared responsibility and want to rally everyone – from partners and parents, to janitors, staff and students – to join the movement and put an end to poor sanitation.”
The Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards will culminate during World Toilet Day on November 19, 2020. The award will recognise the Best School Division, as well as the Most Improved Schools from the winning division based on WinS star ratings.
Join the Domex #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable movement to make a usable, clean and safe toilet a reality for every Filipino school children. Follow Domex Philippines Facebook page to find out how you can be involved.