Manila Water Foundation went live recently on Facebook to celebrate Global Handwashing Day with its partners, P&G Safeguard, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and the Department of Education (DepEd).
David Khoo, Principal Scientist of P&G’s Health and Hygiene Institute, led a short lecture on the science of handwashing and how germs can spread. He said that the main way germs infect us is through our hands, as we touch our faces unconsciously numerous times throughout the day. Thus, Khoo emphasized the importance of washing our hands for at least 20 seconds.
Prior to the Facebook Live celebration, Safeguard kicked off the festivities face-to-face with the local government unit of Quezon City. The QC LGU is one of the beneficiaries of the #SAFEWash program, which embodies Safeguard’s commitment in ensuring every school has access to handwashing facilities.
With the culmination of the construction of the 285 handwashing facilities, P&G Safeguard is on track to having all of its schools star-rated in the DepEd Wash in Schools (WinS) program in the National Capital Region.
Aldrich Gopal, Vice President for P&G Beauty Care and Brand Operations, said that the threat of germs and diseases never left us, even as we move on to the new normal.
“The same germs can cause diseases that lead to school absences,” he said. “When we make regular handwashing a part of our students’ lives, we also protect them from missing opportunities that would lead them to success in the future.”