CELEBRATE GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY WITH SAFEGUARD

Recently, Safeguard celebrated the month of October by teaching kids the proper hygiene at the Global Handwashing Day in Baseco Compound. Safeguard partnered with one of the most prominent personalities, the 'Pambansand Bae' Alden Richards to educate Filipinos on the importance of handwashing through a song 

With the support of DOH, PAMET and the Global Handwashing Partnership, we went all the way to Baseco Compound, Tondo, Manila to take active steps in spreading awareness on the relevance of proper handwashing.

Since children are visuals, these samples of germs and bacteria were seen as display para maging aware ang mga bata how these are spread when you don't take proper hygiene seriously.

We know tayong mga moms are aware on how the germs and bacteria spread. And it can spread like wildfire. I'm particulary conscious of people who cough and has colds when I'm with my kids. Parang naiimagine ko na ang pagspread nya when the person who does it touches things without washing their hands first. And sad to say, kids are the easy target of viruses or people with weak immune system.

Imagine we are averaging 90 touches per day and we touch more than 23 people, so if one sick person (without proper handwashing) touches something or touches you, then you touch something or a person, hawa hawa na! Yikes! And that's what happened to my family recently. We recently got sick with cough and colds. Even Sofi and Isha were not spared. Huhu. These germs and bacteria are avoidable if the person who is sick take proper handwashing. So please lang, if you have cough and colds, make sure to wash your hands regularly with Safeguard. Iwas sakit, iwas hawa.

Check out these other shocking findings that we learned during the Global Handwashing Day. It was an eye-opener for me.

After using the toilet:

• 7 out of 10 Filipinos CLAIM to wash their hands after using the toilet but—ONLY 2 out of 10 really do.
• A shocking 64% of Filipinas DO NOT wash their hands at all after using a mall toilet.

Before eating and cooking:

• It was observed that 60% of females washed their hands with water ONLY before cooking.
• Before feeding the kids, 40% washed their hands with water ONLY.

Before and after bonding:

• 80% of Filipinos DO NOT wash their hands after shaking hands with another person
• 40% of Filipinos DO NOT wash their hands before touching young children

After playing or travelling

• 49% DO NOT wash their hands after using their mobile phones
• 50% DO NOT wash their hands after traveling on public transportation 

Ladies, nashock ako dito. When we were asked who washes their hands most, male or female, we (the audience) answered with confidence na female. And wow, the answer was male! Shocking, right? Tayo pa naman mga ladies ang mahilig maghawak may it be a person or stuff. Tayo pa naman mga mommies is the primary guardian of our kids. Kaya let's make it a conscious effort to wash our hands with Safeguard before we touch our kids.

Keep in mind that one of the fastest ways to spread germs and diseases is by human contact and ingesting contaminated food. Clearly, Filipinos haven’t nurtured the habit of proper hand washing, and based on statistics, a great number do not care. There’s a great opportunity to educate citizens that washing hands with soap can effectively remove disease-causing germs and is the most basic way to prevent oneself from getting sick. 

Did you know that 1.5 million children around the world die every year due to diarrhea? As shocking as it may seem, diarrhea is the second most common cause of death among kids. UNICEF has declared that pneumonia takes the lives 1.8 million children globally each year. Furthermore, in a study done by DOH locally, it has been found out that pneumonia is the number one cause of death among Filipino children of age 1-14 years. Believe it or not, the simple habit of proper handwashing with an anti-bacterial soap can be an effective way of reducing these incidents.

Glad that someone like Alden Richards support this advocacy and with his influence he's also raising awareness and importance in handwashing through a catchy song. And through a power of a song, he's inviting everyone to make it a habit to wash their hands with Safeguard in these 5 'hugas non-negotiables' - before mano, after using the toilet, before eating, after playing, and before bonding.

Especially now that ber months is upon us, andyan ang reunion with family and friends, shopping, gatherings. If we don't take proper action like handwashing, we are opening ourselves to germs and bacteria.  Kaya bawat hugas, dapat Safeguard hugas!

Of course, I have to have a pic with Alden, hehe!

So, let's wake up and start promoting handwashing to our family and friends. Let's start taking action and conscious effort by making it a habit to wash our hands with Safeguard.