WASH Education and Oral Hygiene Orientation: A Joint Project that Makes Perfect Sense

Introduction

The WASH Education (WASHEd) / Oral Hygiene Orientation program was successfully rolled out last Saturday, September 16, with twenty-three Rotaract officers and members in attendance as volunteer “teachers and mentors” to public school children. The training session for Rotaract volunteers was meant to equip them with the information and tools needed to conduct, as school/community educators, a 30 to 45 minutes presentation/lecture to grade schoolers on basic information and hygiene practices (including proper washing and oral care protocols).

The training was a half-day program with lectures, interactive activities, and customized workbooks and teaching materials to prepare Rotaract volunteers to become community educators and conduct presentations to grade-school students. It was conducted by the Rotary Club of Manila (WASH Committee [Chaired by BLA Raoul Creencia] and Community Oral Care Committee [Chaired by Dr. John Cutter]), in partnership with the Rotaract Club of Manila, and Masy Consultants. The latter, with Environment and Sanitary Engineers as facilitators, led the discussion of at least 6 modules. Held at the Mayfair Function Room of Midas Hotel, Manila (see captioned photos of the event, featured on page 26) , the training program promised to be an inspiring and right first step to reach out to, create awareness among, as well as educate our public school children on the importance of WASH and oral care.

Complementing ‘Washing Stations’ project in schools

Last year, RCM donated and completed the construction of washing stations in schools in Manila. While the Club will continue to identify additional schools where washing stations can be set up, this initiative will be complemented by the WASHEd and Oral Care program. This important supplemental program recognizes that schools play a vital role in addressing the WASH literacy gap and improving the livelihoods of school children and their families.

To be sure, helping make our young population know more about proper hygiene will help curb the high incidence and deaths attributed to waterborne diseases. Sadly, school learners aged up to 14 years old account for 58% of reported cases and 37% of registered deaths are attributed to waterborne diseases (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2021).

What is WASHEd?

WASHEd is an innovative learning curriculum designed on a pedagogy to improve teacher or volunteer educators’ instruction in schools through a “teaching of teachers” approach and making successful practice accessible. Together with oral hygiene mentoring, WASHEd will directly and effectively address the absence of a standardized learning curriculum on WASH. Our Club is partnering with Masy Consultants because the latter has designed, delivered, and iterated the WASHEd Learning Curriculum in close consultation with subject matter experts, educators, and accredited professional organizations. Furthermore, facilitating effective WASHEd improves the livelihoods of the wider community because youth will become WASH advocates/key enablers in their schools, households and villages. Key development outcomes include:

Health & Nutrition: Disease prevention, balanced diet, caring for the sick

Education: Reduced sickness improves school enrolment and attendance

Poverty & Inequality: Healthier lives improve productivity, livelihoods, and equal access

Gender Equity: Menstrual health, women security

Who is Masy Consultants?

Masy Consultants (MC) is a registered social enterprise in New South Wales, Australia and the Philippines. It aims to improve the quality of life of vulnerable youth through sustainable and inclusive WASHEd. MC shares RCM’s advocacy for more Filipinos to have safe and reliable access to clean water, and sanitation, and to live in health, dignity and prosperity.

Moreover, MC’s mission is aligned with RCM’s, which is to empower communities by training teachers and community educators (such as Rotary and Rotaract volunteers) with WASH knowledge and resources, so they can facilitate structured lesson plans and meaningfully contribute to Sustainable Development Goals SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation. and SDG4: Quality Education. MC’s work is recognised and sponsored by governments and intergovernmental agencies, NGOs, corporations, academic institutions, and local advocacy groups from across Australia, the Philippines, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. This includes the Philippine Government’s City Divisions of the Department of Education, the Department of Health National Office, the Australian Government's Australia-ASEAN Council, ASEAN Foundation, Maybank, and international award-winning NGO Water.org.

RCM’s WASHEd Program

Rolling out our Club’s WASHEd program aims to assist schools comply with the WASH in Schools Program of the Department of Education (DepEd). It will be recalled that in February 2016, the Policy and Guidelines for the Comprehensive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WinS) Program was issued by the DepEd through DepEd Order 10, s. 2016. The DepEd acknowledges that lack of access to adequate water supply, insufficient toilet and proper handwashing facilities, and non-practice of hygiene behavior remain key contributors to hygiene and sanitation challenges. This led to the launching of the DepEd WinS Program.

With the recent training of an enthusiastic batch of Rotaractors, we can now start organizing our visits to public schools for the WASHEd and Oral Hygiene Orientation, to benefit grade school children in public schools. In fine, it is fitting for the Rotary Club of Manila, the First in Asia, to likewise be the first Club to pursue and be the trailblazer in the WASHEd arena. The program is made even more unique as we have integrated oral health care into the modules. Let us do this.