One Million Clean Toilets Movement: Saving Lives through proper hygiene and education

Do you know that there are about 2 million bacteria per inch that can be found in a bathroom? Yet over 90% of local households are unaware of proper toilet hygiene and sanitation practices. Unilever, through its leading specialized toiler cleaner brand Domex, took the initiative to promote better bathroom sanitation on the occasion of World Toilet Day on November 19.

Dubbed as the One Million Clean Toilets Movement, the campaign aims to encourage a culture of cleanliness by increasing the public’s awareness on the importance of maintaining proper toilet sanitation through a series of year-long cleaning and education initiatives, starting with a multi-sector partnership with UNICEF, the Philippine Public Health Association, the City of Manila and Pilipinas Shell. Launched at the Manila City Hall, Domex will deputize Germ Busters through a series of training activities on the proper servicing of restrooms covering City Service employees, NLEX and SLEX Shell gas station service personnel, and selected school and hospital sanitation staff.

The bar for success has been set high: to collect a total of one million pledges from private households to conscientiously maintain their own clean, safe, and hygienic bathrooms by the next World Toilet Day in November 2014. Individuals who will pledge to support the One Million Clean Toilets Movement via the Domex Philippines FB Page (facebook.com/DomexPhilippines) will also help grow a global fund to help improve access to basic sanitation in areas of need all over the world as Domex will donate P5 to UNICEF’s Sanitation Program for every pledge received. Billion Better Lives As part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), the One Million Clean Toilets Movement strengthens Unilever’s “Billion Better Lives” campaign by helping 1 billion people to improve their health and well-being by 2020. The plan, launched globally in 2010, will result in three significant outcomes by 2020- allowing us to source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably, halve the environmental footprint of our products, and help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, or the Billion Better Lives campaign. The USLP inspires people to take small everyday actions that can add up to a big difference for the world.

Actress and celebrity mom Dimples Roman, who is becoming a regular fixture of Unilever's sanitation advocacy campaigns, aptly hosted the event. Domex brand manager Dennis Chua and his team demonstrated the proper way of cleaning the toilet bowl. In attendance were local government officials, advocacy partners and women from all walks of life -- the real in-charge of any household's sanitation campaign including of course, the batroom and toilet. "Regular use of a specialized cleaning product can significantly decrease levels of virus contamination, and minimize the contraction of preventable illnesses like influenza, diarrhea, and hepatitis,” Chua said.