In line with the celebration of #WorldToiletDay2022 last November, Manila Water Foundation trooped to Barangay Caranan in Pasacao, Camarines Sur.

With the WTD 2022 theme: Making the Invisible Visible, MWF organized an onsite event highlighting the sanitation gaps in rural coastal communities with support from the Local Government of Pasacao.

In an afternoon of water access, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) learning sessions, community members, Barangay Health Workers, and Barangay Nutrition Scholars were encouraged to lead and support WASH initiatives to support community health and well-being.

A day before the WTD celebration, family toilets for household partners were handed over in Barangay San Francisco, Bombon, Camarines Sur through the Roots to Shoots (RTS) program. This is the three-year nutrition, livelihood, and WASH synergy project among Manila Water Foundation, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., and World Vision Philippines.

Since 2021, a total of 102 family toilets have been handed over to program partners, targeting families with nutritionally challenged children within the first 1,000 days of life. For this year, through the WASH component of the RTS Program, 60 toilets were built in 5 communities in the municipalities of Bombon and Pasacao, Camarines Sur, ensuring basic access to sanitation for marginalized, rural communities.

In partnership with PHILUSA Corporation and Orocan, hygiene and sanitation products were also handed over to the household partners to ensure effective maintenance of their new family toilet. This milestone is part of MWF’s celebration of #WorldToiletDay2022 in its commitment to bringing WASH for all communities.