Unilever's toilet hygiene expert Domex announced its partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Deutshe Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zussammenarbeit (GIZ) with the goal of providing access tousable, clean and safe toilets for 7 million Filipino school children by 2021. The event, held at Lakandula High School, was graced by DepEd Usec. Tonisito Umali and joined by school division heads, staff, students, and their parents.
The program formed part of the Domex #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign, which aims to rally the nation to help win the war on poor sanitation in schools. As well as part of DepEd's many efforts to improve school sanitation conditions through their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program (DepEd WinS).

School are a high priority for Domex. The lack of access to usable, clean and safe toilets seriously impacts the health, comfort, and learning ability of students. 84% of school teachers and school nurses say toilet-related issues greatly increase the number of sick days students take, which could also impact their learning.
"Domex believes a clean and safe school toilet is a right, not a privilege," said Vanessa Ong, Marketing Director for Unilever Home Care. "Currently, 1 in 2 schools in the Philippines still do not follow national guidelines on sanitation. Through this landmark partnership, we join forces to achieve clean, safe, usable toilets for every Filipino child."

Domex together with DepEd and GIZ reinforced their commitment to the DepEd WinS program. This program provides practical guidance on what schools must do to achieve usable, clean, and safe toilets. Domex will continue to contribute by providing the right support and training for janitors, school staff, and students to encourage schools to adopt healthy school hygiene practices.
Today, Domex also launched the inaugural Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards, an initiative to accelerate progress toward reaching national sanitation standards.Schools and division offices are encouraged and rewarded for adopting the DepEd WinS program, making stepwise improvements in school sanitation. The award aims to promote good hugiene and sanitation habits by reinforcing the importance of maintaining usable, clean and safe toilets in schools across the Philippines.

"Through the Eskwelang Unstoppable Award we hope to recognize and rewards schools that have greatly improved toilet sanitation conditions for their students and staff," continued Ong. "We believe that keeping toilets clean and safe is a shared responsibility and want to rally everyone -from partners and parents, to janitors, staff and students - to join the movement and put an end to poor santitation."

The Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards will culminated during World Toilet Day on November 19, 2020. The award will recognise the Best School Division, as well as the Most Improved Schools from the winning division based on WinS star ratings.

Join the Domex #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable movement to make a usable, clean and safe toilet a reality for every Filipino school children. Follow Domex Philippines Facebook page to find out how you can be involved.

Domex is available in all major retailers and e-commerce sites.

Global toilet sanitation problem leads to 443 million missed school days.

According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), children around the world miss an estimated 443 million school days each year because of diseases caused by poor sanitation and hygiene practices, including using unsanitary toilets. Simply put, this number of sick days is equivalent to all grade school and high school classrooms in the Philippines being empty for one month. This sanitation-related concern hinders the children’s learning and significantly reduces their quality of life.

Illnesses due to poor toilet sanitation include diarrheal disease and parasitic worm infections which can lead to nutritional deficiencies, physical and mental stunting, and death. Every day, millions of children in rural communities and urban households nationwide are exposed to these health problems by using dirty toilets populated by disease-carrying germs.

 According to Dr. Luisa Efren of the Philippine Public Health Association (PPHA), the simple act of proper toilet sanitation can help prevent the spread of these germs. However, children continue to be at risk from these deadly diseases because many households still use ordinary laundry bleach to clean their toilet bowls, which is not enough to kill all toilet germs.

“A toilet that looks clean to the naked eye may not necessarily be free from germs and bacteria. So, it is very important to properly sanitize all surfaces using a germ-kill expert with proven efficacy in eliminating bacteria, and not just any ordinary laundry bleach,” Dr. Efren warned.
For the past three years, Unilever Philippines through its germ-kill expert brand Domex, has been working with UNICEF and PPHA to champion the One Million Clean Toilets Movement. This advocacy program aims to educate Filipinos on proper toilet hygiene and the need for sanitized household toilets to keep their families safe against disease-causing germs.
On November 13, World Toilet Day, join the One Million Clean Toilets Movement in the fight against disease causing germs to save lives, one clean toilet at a time. To learn more about Domex and how you can stay safe from disease with a germ-free home, visit Domex Philippines on Facebook.


You can also help the 1 Million Clean Toilets Movement fight against disease by spreading awareness on the sanitation issue caused unsanitary toilets. Watch and share the “Sick Days” video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMNHyUwQOQ) to help keep your family and friends germ-free.