Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Studes gear for 'Handwashing Day' By Annabelle L. Ricalde
MILLIONS of school children from all over the world will join hands in celebration of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation to be held Wednesday.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has released a memorandum urging its partner agencies and all private and public elementary and secondary schools in the country to participate in the global activity to heighten the awareness on hand washing with soap.
In Cagayan de Oro, a Task Force composed of various agencies and its representative, was organized to spearhead the local observance. The TF is composedof DepEd, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Red Cross, Congressional Offices of Representatives Rolando Uy and Rufus Rodrigues, Misamis Oriental Provincial Health Office, City Government, PhilHealth and the German-funded organizations like Committee of German Doctors, PeriUrban Vegetable Project (PUVeP) and Fif for School-Essential Health Care Package (EHCP).
Dr. Fe Paler, DOH-Northern Mindanao Dentist IV, said the Global Handwashing Day aims to promote hygiene practices among children because handwashing with soap is one of the world's most cost-effective preventative health intervention.
"It has been proven to reduce the risk because more often handwashing is overlooked hygiene," Paler said in a press conference held at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) last Friday.
Paler said the Global Handwashing Day celebration will focus on school children because they are prone not only to diarrhea but also cholera and dysentery.
During the activity, the Essential Health Care Package (EHCP) will also be launch in the city, particularly in City Central School and Sumpong Elementary School in Bukidnon.
The EHCP project promotes daily handwashing with soap, fluoride tooth-brushing and biannual de-worming as daily school activities.
More than 400,000 public schoolchildren in the city, including Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental will benefits the project.
To grace the launching of EHCP are DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque, along with the local officials from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and in the city and representatives from Unicef, German development organizations among others.
