Next generation germ-busters: How Domex is strengthening sanitation education with the youth

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Maintaining proper hygiene is a concept taught early in one’s childhood. However, many developing countries still struggle to gain access to the necessities needed to achieve it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF’s joint monitoring Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Annual Results for 2021, 1 in 2 people worldwide are at risk due to the lack of access to safely managed sanitation.

In the Philippines, the struggles continue to persist.

The sanitation problem in public schools

According to WHO, access to safe water and sanitation facilities continues to be a challenge for millions of Filipinos living in rural and urban areas. Significant struggles in achieving WASH services still plague the country, as 19% of our population still lacks access to safe drinking water while 27% still practices open defecation. Meanwhile, Economist Impact, supported by Unilever, published a year-long study across Ecuador, India, Nigeria, and the Philippines. The report discovered that poor maintenance led to 1.2 million school toilets, initially built for students, being deemed unusable.

All these concerns impede the basic human rights to water, sanitation, and education. Despite such large-scale issues worldwide and in the Philippines, Domex constantly finds ways to help communities win against poor sanitation. The brand puts utmost importance on providing hygiene and cleanliness education and support to local schools, as children are a lot more vulnerable to the effects, such as diseases, that can affect their education and learning.

Raising the next generation of germ-busters

Domex acknowledges that teaching and application go hand-in-hand, manifesting in their different initiatives. With Unilever GIVES, employee advocates participate in toilet cleaning and instruct in-school activities to help teachers and students gear up for the upcoming school year. Aside from that, Domex and Unilever also donate cleaning products and tools for regular toilet and sanitation maintenance and Brigada Eskwela activities.

Meanwhile, Eskwelang Unstoppable seeks to promote proper hygiene habits by emphasizing the importance of looking after usable, clean, and safe toilets in schools nationwide. To take it up a notch, Domex partnered up with Department of Education (DepEd) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to hold the first-ever Eskwelang Unstoppable awards in 2022 by encouraging schools and division offices to adopt the DepEd WinS program. Institutions that participated and improved their school’s sanitation were rewarded.

Employee volunteers from Unilever commemorated World Toilet Day 2023 by extending their knowledge to the students of Usuan Elementary School.

The volunteer advocates taught the children good toilet habits through an exciting interactive learning session. They empowered them to become the next generation of germ-busting superheroes with five easy-to-follow rules:

Don’t hold your pee

Only throw trash in the trash can

Must flush the toilet

Every time, wash your hands

eXtra water please

With initiatives like Eskwelang Unstoppable and Unilever GIVES, Domex continues to strengthen and empower the next generation of germ-busters by starting their good hygiene education and habits at an early chapter of their lives. As the youth become more aware and mindful of practicing cleanliness, the Philippines is a step closer to overcoming the struggles brought about by poor sanitation.

Join Domex in raising the new generation of germ-busters by implementing the five unstoppable rules at home, school, and wherever they go. Discover more about Domex’s commitment to spreading proper sanitation education through Eskewlang Unstoppable by following the brand on Facebook.