60 student-leaders from General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City participated in the pilot run of Manila Water Foundation’s WASH-Aralan: The WASH in Schools Caravan. The program is aimed at empowering student-leaders in leading Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene or WASH activities in their respective schools, which covers water conservation, proper sanitation, handwashing, toothbrushing, and menstrual health.
MANILA, Philippines – Manila Water, through the Manila Water Foundation (MWF), recently led the pilot run of the WASH-Aralan: The WASH in Schools Caravan in General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City.
The project is aimed at empowering student-leaders in leading and campaigning for Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene or WASH in schools.
60 student-leaders participated in a hygiene and sanitation seminar where proper handwashing and toothbrushing techniques were discussed, as well as menstrual health, proper sanitation, and water conservation through Manila Water’s Water Wais program.
Aside from the student-leaders, the activity was also graced by members of the Department of Education – Schools Division Office of Quezon City, National Water Resources Board, and Manila Water’s Advocacy and Research Department and Quezon City Business Area.
WASH – Aralan
The WASH-Aralan: The WASH in Schools Caravan was created in support to DepEd’s full transition to mandatory face-to-face classes starting this November.
MWF envisions to bring the WASH-Aralan caravan to public schools in Metro Manila and beyond.
WASH-Aralan aims to empower student-leaders, called WASHmates by championing WASH in Schools, supporting them to acquire necessary knowledge, skills and projects on the wise use of water, proper sanitation, menstrual health and hygiene.
WASHmates will be future WASH Advocates in their schools and families to promote healthier communities.
The student-leaders will also be involved in monitoring facility health and student health data in their respective schools.
Aside from sanitation and hygiene education, MWF has also led the provision of hand-hygiene facilities in public schools through the #SafeWASH in Schools program
Last September, MWF and partner P&G Safeguard Philippines completed the turn-over of 10-faucet, foot-pedal-operated hand hygiene facilities to 285 schools in Metro Manila and Rizal province.
A total of 772,001 students, teachers and non-teaching staff benefited from the said program.