A training for youth leaders of San Remigio as conducted last November 6, 2020 at the Municipal Social Hall, San Remigio, Cebu.
There were 20 youth participants coming from nine organizations, namely: Kabatan-onan Kontra Druga at Terorismo (KKDAT) Chapters of Barangays Tambogon, Canagahan, Hagnaya, and Punta. Samahang Kabataan Municipal Chapter of San Remigio and of Barangays Tacup, Argawanon, Punta and Lawis.
The Visayas Primary Healthcare Services, Inc. organized the training as part of the project supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on COVID-19 response.
The youth play an essential role together with the BHERTs, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars and other sectors in community-based COVID-19 response. Hygiene care and hygiene promotion is very important in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic so that increased awareness of the youth leaders on it can pave way for more active involvement of the youth sector in community-based COVID-19 response in their communities.
The training aimed to present to the participants the importance of hygiene and hygiene promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic, explain the significance of personal, home, food, respiratory, laundry, menstrual, and oral hygiene, introduce about sanitation, its definition and importance, discuss how to make water safe to drink by disinfection with chlorine and boiling, discuss about hygiene promotion and the components of hygiene promotion.
After the lecture, there was a workshop where the participants answered the following questions, namely, (a) What do you think you can do to maintain hygiene in your home? (b) Do you see any problems with hygiene in your community? (c) Why do you think there are such problems? and (d) What do you think can be done to address these problems?
The participants shared their answers to the workshop. They also shared about their experiences regarding practicing the health protocols.
The participants lamented that some of their neighbors still do not have toilets and there are dirty surroundings. Garbage is not collected daily. They fear that these can cause people to get sick. They hope that their barangay officials can address these problems. They also said that they will always remember to wash their hands when they should, that they will keep their homes clean always, and tell their own family members and neighbors to do the same. The youth leaders also committed to share what they know in the training with their classmates and friends.
There is a need to reach out to more youth organizations in order to promote about hygiene, through trainings for their youth leaders and information dissemination through the social media, or public gatherings.
After the training was the distribution of BIDA hygiene kits to the San Remigio Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office represented by its head, Ms. Claire Daitol. The kits are intended for the youth and victims of gender-based violence in the municipality.
