“Health in Our Hands educate communities on the importance of proper hygiene practices as key for healthy living”
On March 16, 2023, Manila Water Company and Manila Water Foundation renewed their commitment to the environment and sustainability through a donation of one million pesos to the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. during its second anniversary celebration as an organization.
The P1 million donation was for MTFI to help develop its onsite office and enhance the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center at the 5-hectare property at the La Mesa Watershed.
At the anniversary event, the donation handover ceremony was held after the partnership message of MWF President and MWC President and CEO Jocot de Dios who was joined by MWF Executive Director Reginald Andal, MWC Enterprise Regulatory and Stakeholder Engagement Group Head Atty. Kaye Revil in turning over the institutional support to former MWSS Chairman/Administrator and now MTFI Chairman Emeritus Gen. Reynaldo Velasco (Ret.), and us as MTFI President and Executive Director.
As an institutional donor, MTFI recognizes the invaluable contribution of MWC and MWF as stakeholder partners in protecting the environment through its water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and environmental programs that are social investments to communities and future generations.
In his speech, MWC and MWF President Jocot de Dios said MWF is one with MTFI in projects that sustain environmental efforts to mitigate the ill effects of climate change such as carbon credit recovery by planting a million trees and rehabilitating critical watersheds namely Ipo, La Mesa, Angat, Umiray, Laguna Lake, and Manila Bay.
“It’s an honor to collaborate with MTFI in creating holistic efforts to save and preserve our environment from deterioration. We’re proud that we are part of their action, as we also have the same goal through our LIKAS program house as part of our environmental initiatives in MWF,” MWF Executive Direcvtor Andal said.
Just recently, Manila Water Foundation (MWF) celebrated its 18th founding anniversary with activities marked by collaboration.
The social development arm of the Manila Water Enterprise, Manila Water Foundation. collaborates with different agencies and organizations to help realize the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Established in 2005, MWF has adopted the theme Celebrating Synergies, Expanding Reach for this year’s anniversary celebration. Included in the series of activities was the Partners Event where 18 partners of MWF in its WASH program were given recognition as it invites 18 more organizations to synergize with and support its programs.
Among the program partners lauded by MWF was the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. (MTFI).
MTFI is an institutional partner of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in the latter’s Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) that aims to rehabilitate critical watersheds essential to water supply in the Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
Established only two years ago, MTFI’s contribution to environment protection has earned for it plaudits including that from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-NCR last month and in the recent World Water Day Awards on March 22, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center.
The commendation from MWF is another feat for the young organization whose advocacy is aligned with MWF’s WASH programs.
The WASH— Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene—program of MWF is an integrated program that aims to improve the lives of marginalized communities.
The WASH program highlights the importance of water, which is at the core of MTFI’s advocacy.
It was in 2010 when water and sanitation were explicitly recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as human rights that are “essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”
Moreover, adequate water, sanitation and hygiene are necessary in the provision of basic health services.
Data from the UNICEF website reveal that 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water worldwide.
More than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation; three billion people do not have access to hand-washing facilities with soap; and 673 million people practice open defecation.
The WASH program of MWF involves three phases: Water Access or providing clean and potable water in a selected community; Sanitation, the designing and building of toilets for communities to eliminate open defecation; and Hygiene focused on educating the community on the importance of proper hygiene practices as key to good health.
Aligned with MWF’s WASH program are its Lingap, Ahon and Health in our Hands programs. In Lingap,
MWF provides clean, safe and potable water by building hand-washing and drinking facilities in public institutions.
Through Ahon, low-income communities are provided subsidies for individual piped-in water service connections through Ahon Tubig and construction of toilets and other sanitation facilities to help with waste containment, disposal and management through Ahon Sanitasyon.
Meanwhile, Health in Our Hands educate communities on the importance of proper hygiene practices as key for healthy living.
With that recognition, MWF will donate a portable hand washing station, hygiene supplies and the MWF storybook “May Tubig na sina Tinay!” to a Metro Manila school or institution in the name of MTFI.
(The author is president and executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc. He is also a prolific book writer and publisher.)
