GlobalHandwashingDay

Morodin discusses the importance of frequent and proper handwashing in front of community members during the Mum's Magic Hands Graduation at Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao. The 'graduates' are expected to become health champions within their communities and ensure the project's sustainability. (Photo: IDEALS)

Towards a clean and COVID-19 resilient community

Morodin Mangintas Mohammad, 26, is the secretary of Tugal village, Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao, a village of approximately 732 people. As a village secretary, Morodin keeps the records of their village, its population, including live births and mortality data. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in...

Norhaimin Omar, 26, is an elected youth council leader and health promotion champion keeping her community safe from Covid-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks by teaching young people the importance of proper handwashing and hygiene. Her village in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao is a designated evacuation area that hosts hundreds of families forced to flee their homes because of armed conflict, even during Covid-19 lockdowns. “My dream is for my community to be safe from violence and the corona

It takes a village to shift social norms

At 9AM in Barangay Tukanakuden in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao province, health champions would start flocking in the barangay hall. The champions refer to these training sessions as “classes”. The roster of champions is diverse – most of them are mothers, as they are the project's primary...