UNICEF-U nilever program benefits Masbate communities

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Unilever Philippines have taken the fight against deadly disease-spreading germs to less-privileged communities and far-flung provinces with the help of Unilever’s leading toilet-cleaning brand Domex.

In Aroroy, Masbate, the communities of Matalangtalang, Talib and Cabangcalan have been declared open defecation-free following the success of the Community Approaches to Total Sanitation (CATS) program, which is managed on-ground by UNICEF and its partners. The program encourages people to look at the potential health risks of open defecation practices in their communities and collectively seek solutions to their sanitation problems by asking them to share toilets and eventually build their own.

The program also ensures that all public facilities in the three Aroroy communities have toilets and handwashing facilities, resulting in convenience and reduced incidence of illness especially among children.

For the past three years, Unilever has been supporting UNICEF’s CATS program as part of its commitment to the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, which aims to help improve the health and well-being of more than a billion people worldwide.

Open defecation causes diarrhea and other deadly diseases, as flies go to the feces and fly into one’s food. It causes not only health-related problems, but also affects a family’s income as parents are unable to work when they have to take care of a sick family member and pay for medicines and/or hospitalization. Kids also miss school days when they get sick or take care of sick siblings.

“Our success in making these Masbate barangays open defecation-free is a big step towards eliminating disease-spreading germs, especially among children,” said Dr. Michael Emerson Gnilo, UNICEF communication for development specialist. He noted that children are highly vulnerable to deadly water-borne illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia.

“With Unilever’s support, we intend to make 18 more barangays open defecation-free by the end of 2015. These model barangays will pave the way for expansion and scale up of the program,” he added.

Globally, more than 760,000 people are now living in open defecation-free communities, leading to improved health, safety, security and dignity, thanks to the UNICEF and Unilever partnership. Their partnership has also provided more than 120 schools or 29,500 school children worldwide with safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities which led to fewer sick days and more children staying in school, leading to improved education.